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John was adding Rational Numbers. He showed his work below. What was John's error?

Explain to John how to solve it correctly.

Adding Rational Numbers Error.

John was adding Rational Numbers. He showed his work below. What was John's error-example-1

1 Answer

10 votes

Answer:

-5 3/5

Explanation:

John's error was in adding the whole number and fractional portions separately, the fractions must be converted to improper fractions with common denominators to be added or subtracted properly so

(-7 4/5) + (2 1/5), convert to improper fractions

-39/5 + 11/5, both fractions have common denominator so we can continue

-39 + 11 = -28, so -39/5 + 11/5 = -28/5, convert back to proper fractions

-28/5 = (-25/5) + (-3/5) = -5 3/5

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