Unit 11: Add and Subtract Fractions with Unequal Denominators

common denominator

a denominator that is the same in two or more fractions

improper fraction

a fraction in which the numerator is greater than or equal to the denominator

proper fraction

a fraction in which the numerator is less than the denominator; such as, 2/5, 5/8, or 7/10

unit fraction

a fraction with a numerator of 1; such as 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc...

mixed number

a number composed of a whole number and a fraction; such as, 2 3/4 or 5 2/7

common factor

a number that is a factor of two or more numbers; such as, factors of 6: 1, 2, 3, 6 and factors of 9: 1, 3, 9; the common factors of 6 and 9 are 1 and 3

common multiple

a number that is a shared multiple of two or more numbers; such as, multiples of 3: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and multiples of 5: 5, 10, 15, 20; a common multiple of 3 and 5 is 15

factor

a number that is multiplied by another number to find a product; such as, the factors of 6 are 1, 2, 3, and 6

fraction

a number that names a part of a whole or part of a group

unequal denominators

fractions that have different denominators; such as, 2/5 and 3/8

addends

numbers that are added

difference

the answer to a subtraction problem

sum

the answer to an addition problem

denominator

the bottom number in a fraction; the number of equal parts

simplest form

the form of a fraction in which the greatest common factor of the numerator and denominator is 1

greatest common factor (GCF)

the largest factor that two or more numbers have in common

least common denominator (LCD)

the least common multiple of denominators of every fraction in a given set of fractions

multiple

the product of a given number and any whole number; such as, multiples of 5 include 5, 10, 15, 20 ...

identity property of mulitplication

the property which states that the product of 1 and any factor is the factor

whole numbers

the set of counting numbers and zero (0,1,2,3,4,...)

lowest terms

the simplest form of a fraction in which the numerator and denominator have no common factor except 1

least common multiple (LCM)

the smallest number, other than 0, that is a common multiple of two or more numbers

numerator

the top number in a fraction; how many equal parts are being considered

partition

to divide or separate a whole into parts

simplify

to write a fraction in lowest terms

equivalent fractions

two or more fractions that are equal