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Contributor: Katie Schnabel. Lesson ID: 14174
Yo ho ho! You've finally found it, matey...the treasure! But how much did you find? Discover how adding mixed numbers with like denominators can help you count up your loot.
Ahoy!! You and your best mates have been at sea for months....searching. You've stopped at island after island, hoping to uncover the lost treasure!
Tired and weary, you finally track it down. X marks the spot!
But wait—there’s a twist! To unlock the treasure, you need a special skill... one you’re about to master: adding mixed numbers with like denominators.
Shiver me timbers! Take a look at all the treasures you found!
You and the crew dig through the loot and discover 7 1/5 pounds of gold and 8 2/5 pounds of gems.
At first glance, this might look tricky—after all, these are mixed numbers, meaning they have both whole numbers and fractions.
But don’t worry! Since all the fractions have the same bottom number or denominator, it’s like counting pieces of the same size.
Dive in and solve it step by step.
Look at the problem again.
| 7 | 1 | + | 8 | 2 | = | |
| 5 | 5 |
Add the whole numbers first.
| 7 | + | 8 | = |
Aye! It's 15.
Add the fractions next.
| 1 | + | 2 | = | |
| 5 | 5 |
Yes! It's 3/5.
Now, put it all together.
| 15 | + | 3 | = | 15 | 3 | |
| 5 | 5 |
That’s the total weight of your treasure—15 and 3/5 pounds! What a haul!
Steps to Adding Mixed Numbers With the Same Denominator
Try another example to be sure you've got it.
| 3 | 3 | + | 2 | 1 | + | 5 | 2 | = | |
| 4 | 4 | 4 |
Follow the steps to solve.
| 3 | + | 2 | + | 5 | = | 10 |
| 3 | + | 1 | + | 2 | = | 6 | |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Now, 6/4 is more than one whole, so simplify it.
| 6 | = | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | 2 |
| 10 | + | 1 | 1 | = | 11 | 1 | |
| 2 | 2 |
Heave ho! You’re all set to practice adding mixed numbers with some fun interactive games.
Head to the Got It? section and dive into the practice problems and games to build your skills!
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