Final answer:
The sum of the fractions 11/17 and 7/12 is 251/204. To reach this answer, a common denominator of 204 was used, and the answer is in its simplest form as an improper fraction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks for the sum of two fractions: 11/17 and 7/12. To add fractions, we must first find a common denominator. The denominators 17 and 12 do not have any common factors, which makes their least common denominator simply their product, 17 * 12 = 204. We then convert each fraction to an equivalent fraction with the denominator of 204:
- For 11/17, we multiply both the numerator and denominator by 12, which gives us 132/204.
- For 7/12, we multiply both the numerator and denominator by 17, which gives us 119/204.
Next, we add the two new fractions:
132/204 + 119/204 = (132 + 119) / 204 = 251/204
The sum is 251/204, which is an improper fraction. To simplify to simplest form, we can convert it into a mixed number or leave it as is if the problem requires a fraction answer. The numerator is larger than the denominator, so the fraction is improper, but it is already in its simplest form because the numerator and denominator do not have any common factors other than 1.