SOLUTION: Pictorally with explanations, illustrate the necessity of using common denominators when adding fractions with different denominators. (I am in school for being a teacher and this

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Question 184153: Pictorally with explanations, illustrate the necessity of using common denominators when adding fractions with different denominators. (I am in school for being a teacher and this concept seems hard to teach)
Answer by stanbon(75887) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Pictorally with explanations, illustrate the necessity of using common denominators when adding fractions with different denominators
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Let say you want to add 1/2 and 1/3.
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Draw two pies.
Split the 1st pie into two parts.
Split the 2nd pie into three parts.
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How would you add 1 part of the two to 1 part of the three?
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Hmmmmmm???
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Color 1 of the 2 parts; Color 1 part of the three
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Split each part of the 1st pie into three parts; you now have 6 parts.
Split each part of the 2nd pie into two parts; you now have 6 parts
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Now you can add the 3 colored parts of the 1st pie to 2 colored parts
of the 2nd pie to be 5 parts out of 6.
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(1/2) + (1/3) = (3/6) + (2/6) = 5/6
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Cheers,
Stan H.
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