Renaming Fractions with a Specified Denominator
To add or subtract fractions, the denominators must be the same.
This lesson gives you practice renaming fractions with a desired denominator.
Example
The key is to multiply by $\,1\,$ in the correct way! Multiplying a number by $\,1\,$ just changes the name of the number (not where it lives on a number line)!
The original denominator is $\,7\,$; the desired denominator is $\,14\,.$ What must $\,7\,$ be multiplied by, to get $\,14\,$? Answer: $\,2\,$
Thus, you multiply by $\,1\,$ in the form of $\,\displaystyle\frac{2}{2}\,,$ as shown below:
$$\cssId{s17}{\frac{3}{7} \ = \ \frac{3}{7}\cdot\frac{2}{2} \ = \ \frac{6}{14}}$$The fraction $\displaystyle\,\frac{6}{14}\,$ is just a different name for the number $\,\displaystyle\frac 3 7\,$ (and it's a better name for some situations)!
I'm getting old, and need to safeguard my life's work.
After more than 25 years and 25,000 hours of developing this site, I am now seeking a successor organization to acquire OneMathematicalCat.org and carry it forward into the future. Learn more ➜
Want to say hello? Sign my guestbook!
So, here's the thought process for writing $\,\displaystyle\frac 37\,$ with a denominator of $\,14\,$:
- What must $\,7\,$ (the original denominator) be multiplied by to get $\,14\,$? Answer: $\,2\,$
- If the denominator gets multiplied by $\,2\,,$ the numerator must also be multiplied by $\,2\,.$ Thus, the ‘net effect’ is to multiply the number by $\,1\,$ (which only changes the name, not the number).
- Thus: $\displaystyle\,\frac 37 =\frac{3\cdot 2}{7\cdot 2} = \frac{6}{14}\,$
Practice
Type in your answer as a diagonal fraction (like 2/7), since you can't type horizontal fractions.