Add. -2/4 + 3/9

1 answer

To add the fractions \(-\frac{2}{4}\) and \(\frac{3}{9}\), we first need to find a common denominator.

  1. Simplify \(-\frac{2}{4}\) to \(-\frac{1}{2}\) (dividing both the numerator and the denominator by 2).
  2. The denominators are \(2\) and \(9\). The least common multiple (LCM) of \(2\) and \(9\) is \(18\).

Next, we convert both fractions to have this common denominator:

  • For \(-\frac{1}{2}\):
    \[ -\frac{1}{2} = -\frac{1 \times 9}{2 \times 9} = -\frac{9}{18} \]

  • For \(\frac{3}{9}\):
    \[ \frac{3}{9} = \frac{3 \times 2}{9 \times 2} = \frac{6}{18} \]

Now we can add the two fractions: \[ -\frac{9}{18} + \frac{6}{18} = \frac{-9 + 6}{18} = \frac{-3}{18} \]

Finally, we can simplify \(\frac{-3}{18}\): \[ \frac{-3}{18} = \frac{-1}{6} \]

Thus, the result of adding \(-\frac{2}{4}\) and \(\frac{3}{9}\) is: \[ \boxed{-\frac{1}{6}} \]