Year 5 Maths: Adding Fractions

Hello Year 5! Today, we’re going to learn about adding fractions. This is an important skill in maths, and I’m here to help you understand it step-by-step.

What Are Fractions?

A fraction shows a part of a whole. For example, if you have a pizza cut into 4 slices and you eat 1 slice, you have eaten $$\frac{1}{4}$$ of the pizza.

Adding Fractions

When adding fractions, we need to pay attention to the denominators (the bottom number of the fraction). Here’s how we can add fractions together!

Step 1: Same Denominator

If the fractions have the same denominator, just add the numerators (the top number of the fraction) and keep the denominator the same.

Example:

$$\frac{2}{5} + \frac{1}{5} = \frac{2+1}{5} = \frac{3}{5}$$

Step 2: Different Denominator

If the fractions have different denominators, you need to find a common denominator. This is a number that both denominators can divide into.

Example:

$$\frac{1}{3} + \frac{1}{6}$$

1. The denominators are 3 and 6. The common denominator is 6.
2. Convert $$\frac{1}{3}$$ to have 6 as the denominator: $$\frac{1 \times 2}{3 \times 2} = \frac{2}{6}$$
3. Now add: $$\frac{2}{6} + \frac{1}{6} = \frac{2+1}{6} = \frac{3}{6}$$
4. You can simplify $$\frac{3}{6}$$ to $$\frac{1}{2}$$ .

Key Rules

1. Same Denominator: Add the numerators, keep the denominator.
2. Different Denominators: Find a common denominator, convert fractions, then add.
3. Simplifying Fractions: Always try to simplify your answer.

Tips and Tricks

• When you find a common denominator, you can usually use the biggest denominator as a starting point.
• Remember to check if your final answer can be simplified.
• Practice makes perfect! The more you try, the easier it will get.

Questions

Easy Level (20 Questions)

1. $$\frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{4}$$
2. $$\frac{2}{5} + \frac{1}{5}$$
3. $$\frac{3}{8} + \frac{2}{8}$$
4. $$\frac{1}{3} + \frac{1}{3}$$
5. $$\frac{4}{10} + \frac{3}{10}$$
6. $$\frac{2}{6} + \frac{1}{6}$$
7. $$\frac{5}{12} + \frac{1}{12}$$
8. $$\frac{7}{9} + \frac{1}{9}$$
9. $$\frac{3}{6} + \frac{2}{6}$$
10. $$\frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{2}$$
11. $$\frac{2}{7} + \frac{3}{7}$$
12. $$\frac{5}{5} + \frac{0}{5}$$
13. $$\frac{2}{8} + \frac{1}{8}$$
14. $$\frac{1}{1} + \frac{0}{1}$$
15. $$\frac{1}{10} + \frac{1}{10}$$
16. $$\frac{6}{15} + \frac{3}{15}$$
17. $$\frac{4}{6} + \frac{1}{6}$$
18. $$\frac{7}{7} + \frac{0}{7}$$
19. $$\frac{3}{3} + \frac{1}{3}$$
20. $$\frac{2}{12} + \frac{3}{12}$$

Medium Level (20 Questions)

1. $$\frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{2}$$
2. $$\frac{2}{3} + \frac{1}{6}$$
3. $$\frac{1}{5} + \frac{1}{10}$$
4. $$\frac{3}{8} + \frac{1}{4}$$
5. $$\frac{1}{6} + \frac{1}{3}$$
6. $$\frac{5}{12} + \frac{1}{4}$$
7. $$\frac{2}{5} + \frac{3}{10}$$
8. $$\frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{4}$$
9. $$\frac{3}{10} + \frac{1}{5}$$
10. $$\frac{4}{8} + \frac{1}{8}$$
11. $$\frac{5}{6} + \frac{1}{3}$$
12. $$\frac{2}{9} + \frac{1}{3}$$
13. $$\frac{3}{5} + \frac{2}{15}$$
14. $$\frac{2}{4} + \frac{1}{2}$$
15. $$\frac{1}{8} + \frac{3}{8}$$
16. $$\frac{5}{8} + \frac{3}{16}$$
17. $$\frac{7}{8} + \frac{1}{4}$$
18. $$\frac{3}{7} + \frac{2}{14}$$
19. $$\frac{2}{3} + \frac{1}{9}$$
20. $$\frac{1}{12} + \frac{1}{3}$$

Hard Level (20 Questions)

1. $$\frac{5}{6} + \frac{1}{4}$$
2. $$\frac{3}{10} + \frac{2}{5}$$
3. $$\frac{7}{12} + \frac{1}{3}$$
4. $$\frac{2}{3} + \frac{3}{4}$$
5. $$\frac{5}{9} + \frac{1}{3}$$
6. $$\frac{1}{2} + \frac{2}{5}$$
7. $$\frac{3}{4} + \frac{5}{8}$$
8. $$\frac{7}{15} + \frac{1}{5}$$
9. $$\frac{4}{9} + \frac{2}{3}$$
10. $$\frac{1}{8} + \frac{5}{12}$$
11. $$\frac{2}{5} + \frac{3}{10}$$
12. $$\frac{7}{8} + \frac{1}{2}$$
13. $$\frac{3}{11} + \frac{2}{11}$$
14. $$\frac{4}{15} + \frac{1}{5}$$
15. $$\frac{5}{8} + \frac{3}{16}$$
16. $$\frac{1}{7} + \frac{3}{14}$$
17. $$\frac{5}{18} + \frac{1}{6}$$
18. $$\frac{2}{5} + \frac{3}{20}$$
19. $$\frac{1}{3} + \frac{5}{12}$$
20. $$\frac{2}{21} + \frac{1}{7}$$

Answers

Easy Level Answers

1. $$\frac{2}{4}$$ or $$\frac{1}{2}$$
2. $$\frac{3}{5}$$
3. $$\frac{5}{8}$$
4. $$\frac{2}{3}$$
5. $$\frac{7}{10}$$
6. $$\frac{3}{6}$$ or $$\frac{1}{2}$$
7. $$\frac{6}{12}$$ or $$\frac{1}{2}$$
8. $$\frac{8}{9}$$
9. $$\frac{5}{6}$$
10. $$\frac{2}{2}$$ or $$1$$
11. $$\frac{5}{7}$$
12. $$\frac{5}{5}$$ or $$1$$
13. $$\frac{3}{8}$$
14. $$\frac{1}{1}$$
15. $$\frac{2}{10}$$ or $$\frac{1}{5}$$
16. $$\frac{9}{15}$$ or $$\frac{3}{5}$$
17. $$\frac{5}{6}$$
18. $$\frac{7}{7}$$ or $$1$$
19. $$\frac{4}{3}$$ or $$1\frac{1}{3}$$
20. $$\frac{5}{12}$$

Medium Level Answers

1. $$\frac{3}{4}$$
2. $$\frac{5}{6}$$
3. $$\frac{3}{10}$$
4. $$\frac{5}{8}$$
5. $$\frac{1}{2}$$
6. $$\frac{2}{3}$$
7. $$\frac{7}{10}$$
8. $$\frac{3}{4}$$
9. $$\frac{5}{10}$$ or $$\frac{1}{2}$$
10. $$\frac{5}{8}$$
11. $$\frac{6}{6}$$ or $$1$$
12. $$\frac{9}{9}$$ or $$1$$
13. $$\frac{11}{15}$$
14. $$\frac{3}{4}$$
15. $$\frac{4}{8}$$ or $$\frac{1}{2}$$
16. $$\frac{13}{16}$$
17. $$\frac{9}{8}$$ or $$1\frac{1}{8}$$
18. $$\frac{5}{9}$$
19. $$\frac{7}{12}$$
20. $$\frac{5}{12}$$

Hard Level Answers

1. $$\frac{13}{12}$$ or $$1\frac{1}{12}$$
2. $$\frac{5}{10}$$ or $$\frac{1}{2}$$
3. $$\frac{9}{12}$$ or $$\frac{3}{4}$$
4. $$\frac{17}{12}$$ or $$1\frac{5}{12}$$
5. $$\frac{8}{9}$$
6. $$\frac{7}{10}$$
7. $$\frac{13}{8}$$ or $$1\frac{5}{8}$$
8. $$\frac{8}{15}$$
9. $$\frac{2}{3}$$
10. $$\frac{34}{48}$$ or $$\frac{17}{24}$$
11. $$\frac{3}{5}$$
12. $$\frac{11}{8}$$ or $$1\frac{3}{8}$$
13. $$\frac{5}{11}$$
14. $$\frac{8}{15}$$
15. $$\frac{13}{16}$$
16. $$\frac{5}{14}$$
17. $$\frac{11}{18}$$
18. $$\frac{11}{20}$$
19. $$\frac{11}{12}$$
20. $$\frac{5}{21}$$

Now that you understand how to add fractions, let’s practice! Remember, the more you practice, the better you will get. Happy learning!