Question

8. Your little cousin doesn't know how to find a common denominator, how would you describe to them what they need to do to find a common denominator using simple words?

Answer 1

To find a common denominator, follow these steps:

1. **Look at the two fractions.** Write down the numbers on the bottom (the denominators) of each fraction.

2. **List multiples.** For each denominator, think of the numbers you get when you multiply that number by 1, 2, 3, and so on. These are called multiples.

For example, if the denominators are 4 and 6:
- For 4: the multiples will be 4, 8, 12, 16, ...
- For 6: the multiples will be 6, 12, 18, 24, ...

3. **Find a common number.** Look for a number that appears in both lists of multiples. This number is called the common denominator.

From our example, you can see that 12 is in both lists.

4. **Use this common number.** You can now change both fractions so that they have this new common denominator.

5. **Adjust the numerators.** When you change the denominators, remember to also change the top numbers (numerators) so that the fractions stay equal.

And that’s how you find a common denominator!