adding fractions word problems

Adding fractions word problems arise in many situations.

Let us consider some examples

We will not show you how to add fractions here

Adding fractions will show you how to add fractions and it has a fraction calculator to help you practice.

Example #1:
John walked 1/2 of a mile yesterday and 3/4 of a mile today. How many miles has John walked?

Solution

This word problem requires addition of fractions

Choosing a common denominator of 4, we get

1/2 + 3/4 = 2/4 + 3/4 = 5/4

So, John walked a total of 5/4 miles

Example #2:
Mary is preparing a final exam. She study 3/2 hours on Friday, 6/4 hours on Saturday, and 2/3 hours on Sunday. How many hours she studied over the weekend

Solution

This word problem requires addition of fractions

Choosing a common denominator of 12, we get:

3/2 + 5/4 + 2/3 = 18/12 + 15/12 + 8/12 = 41/12 = 3.42 hours

So, Mary studied a total of 3.42 hours

Example #3:
A recipe requires 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper. How much pepper does this recipe need?

Solution

Choosing 4 as a common denominator, we get:

1/4 + 3/4 + 1/2 = 4/4 + 3/4 + 2/4 = 9/4 = 2.25

So, the recipe needs 2.25 or 2 teaspoon and one-fourth of a teaspoon pepper.

Adding fractions word problems

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