I don’t quite understand how to solve my problem. I want to delve into electronics but, because it’s been so long since I’ve been to school, I’m facing a problem. My problem is how can one add fractions with the same numerator 1 and different denominators? eg 1/15+1/30+1/45. As long as I have not solved this problem, I cannot continue studying. A thousand thanks in advance.
Asker: Gustavus, 52 years old
Answer
Dear Gustav,
This can be done very simply by bringing the fractions to the same denominator. For this you take a number that is a multiple of all the denominators you want to add. To keep the calculations as simple as possible, it is best to choose the least common multiple. For your example, with the denominators 15, 30, and 45, the least common multiple is 90. Then you rewrite the fractions as 6/90 + 3/90 + 2/90 and add the numerators. So the result is 11/90.
Answered by
dr. Albrecht Heeffer
Philosophy and History of Mathematics. Specialization in the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Early Modern Period. Symbolic algebra. Recreational math.
university of Ghent
http://www.ugent.be
.