-1/5 + 5/2

can we cancel 5 while adding two fractions??​

-1/5 + 5/2

can we cancel 5 while adding two fractions??​

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Elliana

1 thought on “-1/5 + 5/2<br /><br />can we cancel 5 while adding two fractions??​”

  1. Answer:

    No.

    Step-by-step explanation:

    Cancelling works only when multiplying and dividing. Your answer would be incorrect if you attempt to cancel during addition.

    Your question can be solved by taking LCM:

    [tex]\frac{-1}{5} + \frac{5}{2}\\= \frac{(-1 \times 2) + (5 \times 5)}{5 \times 2} \\[/tex]

    [tex]= \frac{(-2) + (25)}{10}\\= \frac{23}{10} \\= 2.3[/tex]

    If we tried cancelling:

    [tex]\frac{-1}{5} + \frac{5}{2}\\= \frac{-1}{1} + \frac{1}{2}\\= \frac{(-1 \times 2) + (1 \times 1)}{1 \times 2}\\= \frac{-2+1}{2}\\= \frac{-1}{2}\\= -0.5[/tex]

    This answer is clearly incorrect.

    Any corrections or suggestions for improvement are welcome 🙂

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