Fraction calculator with steps
Add, subtract, multiply or divide fractions, mixed numbers, whole numbers and decimals, and see every step of the working: the common denominator, the multiplying, and the simplifying. Answers are exact, as a fraction, a mixed number and a decimal (with recurring digits marked).
Type fractions as 3/4, mixed numbers as 2 1/3 (with a space), whole numbers or decimals.
Answer
1912
Mixed number
1 712
Decimal
1.583
The digits under the line repeat forever.
Step-by-step working
- 1The denominators are different. The lowest common denominator of 4 and 6 is 12.
- 2Multiply the top and bottom of 34 by 3: 912.
- 3Multiply the top and bottom of 56 by 2: 1012.
- 4Add the numerators: 912 + 1012 = 1912.
- 51912 is already in its simplest form.
- 6As a mixed number: 19 ÷ 12 = 1 remainder 7, so 1912 = 1 7/12.
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Built for checking homework, not just getting answers
Each step is written the way teachers set out the method in class, so a child can compare it with their own working and find exactly where it went wrong. The most common slips are adding the denominators, forgetting to flip the second fraction when dividing, and not simplifying at the end.
Fraction rules in one place
- ✓ Adding and subtracting: same denominator first, then add or subtract the numerators only
- ✓ Multiplying: top times top, bottom times bottom
- ✓ Dividing: keep the first fraction, change ÷ to ×, flip the second
- ✓ Mixed numbers: change to improper fractions before multiplying or dividing
- ✓ Simplifying: divide the top and bottom by their highest common factor
FAQs
How do you add fractions with different denominators?＋
Find the lowest common denominator, rewrite both fractions over it, then add the numerators. For 3/4 + 5/6, the lowest common denominator is 12, so 9/12 + 10/12 = 19/12, or 1 7/12.
How do you multiply fractions?＋
Multiply the numerators together and the denominators together, then simplify. 2/3 × 3/4 = 6/12 = 1/2. Change mixed numbers to improper fractions first.
How do you divide fractions?＋
Flip the second fraction and multiply: 7/8 ÷ 3/4 = 7/8 × 4/3 = 28/24 = 7/6. A common way to remember it is 'keep, change, flip'.
How do I type a mixed number?＋
Put a space between the whole number and the fraction: 2 1/3. Negative mixed numbers work too: -2 1/3.
What does the line over the decimal mean?＋
Those digits repeat forever. 1/6 = 0.1666..., written 0.16 with a line over the 6. The calculator finds the repeating part exactly.
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