Adding Unlike Fractions: Calculate 1/2 Plus 3/8

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Solve

00:03 We want to find the least common denominator

00:06 Therefore we'll multiply by 4 to get the common denominator 8

00:09 Remember to multiply both numerator and denominator

00:15 Let's calculate the multiplications

00:20 Add under the common denominator

00:28 Calculate the numerator

00:31 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we need to add the fractions $\frac{1}{2}$ and $\frac{3}{8}$ .

Step 1: Convert $\frac{1}{2}$ to a fraction with a denominator of 8. We do this by determining the equivalent fraction $\frac{1}{2} = \frac{4}{8}$ . We achieve this by multiplying the numerator and denominator by 4.
Step 2: Now, add the fractions $\frac{4}{8}$ and $\frac{3}{8}$ : $\frac{4}{8} + \frac{3}{8} = \frac{4 + 3}{8} = \frac{7}{8}$ This step involves adding the numerators while keeping the common denominator.

Therefore, the sum of $\frac{1}{2}$ and $\frac{3}{8}$ is $\frac{7}{8}$ .