Question

When do you regroup when adding dissimilar fractions?

A) When the denominators are different.
B) When the denominators are the same.
C) When the numerators are different.
D) When the fractions are mixed numbers.

Answer 1

Regroup when adding dissimilar fractions by finding a common denominator when the denominators are different, so you can then add the numerators. Never add denominators together.

Step-by-step explanation:

When adding dissimilar fractions, you regroup, which means finding a common denominator, when the denominators are different. This is because you can only add numerators directly if the fractions share the same denominator. To find a common denominator, you would typically multiply the denominators together, or find the least common multiple of the denominators, and then adjust the numerators accordingly so that you end up with equivalent fractions that can be added. For example, to add ½ + ⅓, first find a common denominator (which is 6), and re-express the fractions as ⅔ + ⅓, so you can then add the numerators to get ⅖. Notice that you never add the denominators together during this process.