How to add mixed numbers

Your first step is simple. Look at your mixed numbers. How can you Change both of them to improper fractions? An improper fraction is a fraction with a numerator greater than the denominator.

An improper fraction is a fraction with a numerator greater than the denominator. For example 5/2 is an improper fraction. So, say your problem is 2 1/4+ 5 2/3. 2 1/4 as an improper fraction is 9/4.

I got 9/4 by simple steps. Take the denominator of your mixed number and multiply it by the whole number of your mixed number. In this case, that would be the 2. So far, we have 2 1/4 as 8/4.

2 1/4 as 8/4 is incorrect. We forgot the numerator! Add the numerator to 8, or your so far numerator, and you obviously get 9. So 2 1/4 as an improper fraction is 9/4.

5 2/3 as an improper fraction would be 17/3. 17/3 + 9/4.... We are not quite there yet. We need the two improper fractions to have equal denominators. 4 and 3 both go into 12, right?

4x3 is 12, and now we multiply the numerator by same. 9x3 is 27, so 9/4 is now 27/12. And if we do the same to 17/3, that would turn to 68/12. Now, 68+27 is 95 and we would keep the denominator.

Now you know how to add mixed numbers. If you are wondering, the answer to our problem we did is 95/12, or back as a mixed number, 7 11/12.