Chapter 7:

Fractions
7.1 Addition and Subtraction of fractions
You can always add or subtract amounts of the same object.

For example: (a.) 2 tables + 3 tables = 5 tables

2 3 5
(b.) 2 eighths + 3 eighths = 5 eighths or + =
8 8 8
*If you are adding or subtracting mixed numbers you can add or
subtract the whole number first.
Example 1: Workout:
3 4 3 4 7 2 2
(a.)4 + 1 = 4 + 1 + + ⇒5 + ⇒5 + 1 ⇒6
5 5 5 5 5 5 5
3 1 2 1
(b.)3 - 2 = 1 + ⇒1
4 4 4 2
Adding fractions with different denominators
You cannot add or subtract numbers of different objects.

For example: (a.) 2 tables + 3 chairs 2 3

(b.) 2 sevenths + 3 fifths or + cannot be added directly.
7 5
You have to use equivalent fractions to find a common denominator before
you can add different kinds of fractions.

Example 2: Workout:
2 3 10 21
+ = + (LCM of 7 and 5 is 35)
7 5 35 35
31
=
35
Exercise 7A-B
1.) Workout as fast as you can:

1 3 3 3 3 1 7 5 2 1
(a.) + (b.)2 + 1 (c.) - (d.)3 - 1 (e.) +
8 8 4 4 4 4 12 12 7 3

2
5
2.) In Mrs. Bruno's class of the children walk to school, take a bus and the rest
8
8
cycle to school.
(a.) What fraction of the class walk or take a bus?
(b.) What fraction cycle?
 1 3
3.) Two pieces of carpet 3 metres and 2 metres long are joined together. How
4 4
long is the joined carpet?

4.) Al saves 2 what he earns. What fraction of his earnings does Al spend?
7

5.) Katy eats a quarter of an orange and her friend eats another 3 of it. What
8
fraction of the orange is eaten?

6.) In a class, one third of the boys prefer football and another two fifths prefer
cricket. What fraction like either game?
Adding mixed numbers
Mixed number can be added in a similar way.

Example 3: Workout:
2 3
3 +1 (Add the whole number first, 3 + 1 = 4)
3 4
2 3
= 4+ +
3 4
8 9
= 4+ +
12 12
17
= 4+
12
5 5
= 4 +1 →5
12 12
Exercise 7C
1.) Workout:
1 1 1 3 1 1 1 2 5 7
(a.) 3 + 2 (b.) 4 + 2 (c.) 2 + 3 + 2 (d.) 3 + 4 + 3
2 4 5 4 2 4 8 3 6 9
1 3
2.) Mr. Duran's car has 4 litres of petrol in its tank. He puts a further 2 litres
3 4
in it. How much petrol is in the tank now?

1 1 3
3.) Adio wished to post three parcels with masses 1 kg, 2 kg and 4 kg.
2 3 4
What is the total mass of his parcels?
Subtracting fractions with different denominators
You need to make sure that the denominators of the fractions are the same
before subtracting by using equivalent fractions.

Example 4: Workout:
8 5
- (LCM of 9 and 6 is 18)
9 6
16 15
= -
18 18
1
=
18
Subtracting mixed numbers
To subtract mixed numbers it is a good idea to turn them both into improper
fractions.

Example 5: Workout:
1 4 2 5 5 7
a.) 2 - 1 b.) 3 - 1 c.) 2 - 1
5 5 3 9 6 8
11 14 33 14 17 15 68 45
11 9 = - ⇒ - = - ⇒ -
= - 3 9 9 9 6 8 24 24
5 5
2 19 23
= = =
5 9 24
1
=2
9
Exercise 7D-E
1.) Workout:
4 2 6 5 23 1 2 2 5
a.) - b.) - c.) 1 - d.) 1 - e.) 5 - 3
5 3 7 8 24 3 3 5 8
3
2.) A water tank holds 100 litres. Mrs. Shaw uses 6 litres. How much water is left
4
in the tank?

1 5
3.) Kimani's home is 6 km from school. She walks km to the bus stop and takes
2 8
a bus for the rest of the journey. How far is her school from the bus stop?

1
4.) Olives has 3 parcels to post. The first parcel has a mass of 2 kg. The second
3 3
parcel has a mass of kg. The parcels have a mass of 5 kg in total. What is the
4
mass of the third parcel?
7.2 Multiplication of fractions
2 2 2 2 2 2 8 2
What is 4 × ？ 4 × = + + + = ⇒2
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 4 2 8 2
You should see that: 4 × = × = ⇒ 2
3 1 3 3 3
Example 6: Workout:
3 2 3 2 3
a.) × 5 b.) 3 × 4 c.) × d.) of 30kg
8 5 5 7 4
3 5 17 4 6 3 30
= × = × = = ×
8 1 5 1 35 4 1
15 7 68 3 90 45
= ⇒1 = ⇒13 = =
8 8 5 5 4 2
1
⇒ 22 kg
2
7.3 Division of fractions
Dividing whole numbers by fractions
You can divide a number by a fraction.

For example:
1
What is 2 ÷ ？
4
One way of working this out is to ask how many quarter-circle make 2
circles.

1
8 quarters = 2, so 2 ÷ = 8
4
Exercise 7F-G
1.) Workout:
1 4 3 7 1 1 3
a.) 4 × b.) × c.) × d.) 2 × 7 e.) 6 × 3
4 5 11 10 5 2 4
2.) Find:
3 3 2 4
a.) of 8m b.) of 42km c.) of 200 ml d.) of 3t
10 4 3 5
3
3.) Anisha has 4 litres of paint. She uses of it to paint a room.
8
a.) How much paint did she use?
b.) How much paint does she have left?

4.) It takes a mechanic 2 hours to service a car. If the mechanic takes one third of
this time to change the oil, how long does he take to perform the other tasks?
5. (a.) Using quarter-circles, make up 6 circles. How many quarter-circles are in 6
1
circles? Complete: 6 ÷ = __
4
3 3
(b.) Form your 6 circles, make circles. How many circles can you make form
4 4
3
6 circles? Complete: 6 ÷ = __
4

1 3
6. Look at your answers to Q1. 6 ÷ = 24 6÷ = 8
4 4
(a.) There are 24 quarter-circles in 6 circles. What number could you have
1
multiplied 6 by, to get 24? Complete: 6 ÷ = 6 × __ = 24
4
3
(b.) What number should you divide 24 by, to find how many circles are there in
4
3 6× 4
24 quarter-circles? Complete: 6÷ = =8
4 ___
 To divide a whole number by a fraction you turn the fraction upside down
(reciprocal) and multiply.

Example 7: Workout
3 1 4 2
a.) 2 ÷ b.) 6 ÷ 1 c.) ÷
4 2 9 5
4 3 4 5
= 2× = 6× = ×
3 2 9 2
20 1
8 2 = ⇒1
= ⇒2 =4 18 9
3 3
Exercise 7H
1.) Complete the following:
2 3 12 2 5 __
a.) 4 ÷ = 4 × = = ___ a.) 10 ÷ = 10 × = = ___
3 2 2 5 2 __

2.) Workout:
1 3 1 5 4 15
a.) 5 ÷ b.) 4 ÷ c.) 6 ÷ 1 d.) - 2 ÷ e.) ÷
9 4 4 18 5 8

3.) How many half-litre bottles of juice can you get from a 10-litre container?

4.) I have 12 oranges. How many people can I give 2 of an orange to?
3
2
5.) Andrew uses 5 of a bag of fertilizer each week. How long will one bag of
fertilizer last?
7.4 Using known facts and laws of arithmetic to simplify
calculations
The commutative law: when adding two or more numbers or multiplying
two or more numbers, the order of adding or multiplying doesn't matter.

You know that 3 + 2 + 1 = 2 + 3 + 1 and that 4 x 5 x 3 = 3 x 4 x 5. The same

applies to fractions.

Example 8: Calculate:
3 1 2 2 3
a.) +2 + b.) × × 10
5 4 5 5 8
2 3 20 3
1 1 = ×10 × = ×
= 1+ 2 = 3 5 8 5 8
4 4 3 12 3 1
= 4× = = =1
8 8 2 2
 The distributive law: tells us that what a sum is being multiplied by a
number, each number in the sum can be multiplies by the number first, then the
products added.

You know that 5 x (4 + 2) = 5 x 6 = 30 and 5 x 4 + 5 x 2 = 20 + 10 = 30. The

same applies to fractions.
4
Example 9: Calculate: 5 × 12
23
4 4
5 × 12 = 5×（12 + )
23 23
4
= 5 ×12 + 5 ×
23
20 20
= 60 + = 60
23 23
Exercise 7I
1.) Change the order so that you do not need to find a common denominator, then
work out:
1 1 7 2 1 7
a.) + 5 + b.) + 3 +
8 3 8 9 5 9

2.) Change the order so that you do not need to multiply a fraction by a fraction,
then work out:
3 3 5 7
a.) × × 15 b.) × 18 ×
5 4 8 9
Exercise 7I
3.) Use distributive law so that you do not need to do a long multiplication sum,
then work out:
4 3
a.) 4 × 15 b.) 25 × 6
21 19

3
4.) Ahmad and Tarek were going for a walk to their friend's house. They walked 2
1 8
km then stopped for a rest. Then they walked 4 3 km and stopped for lunch. Finally
5
they walked 2 km until they reached their friend's house. How far had they
8
walked together?
Exercise 7I
5 2
5.) This cuboid has side lengths cm, cm and 24 cm .
8 5
What is the volume?

7
6.) Water flows through a hosepipe at a rate of 2250 litres
25
every hour. Sue is using this pipe to fill a water tank which
holds 6760 litres. If she leaves the water for 3 hours, will the
water tank be full?
 The Inverse operations: we can use inverse operations to help us solve
problems.

Multiplying and dividing are inverses of each other.

You know that if 4 x 3 = 12, then 12 ÷ 4 = 3 and 12 ÷ 3 = 4. The same

applies to fractions.

Adding and subtracting are inverses of each other.

You know that if 2 + 5 = 7, then 7 - 5 = 2 and 7 - 2 = 5. The same applies to

fractions.
Example 10: Find the missing numbers:

2 7 1
a.) __ + 3 = 5 a.) __ = 3 × 4
5 15 5
7 2 21
= 5 -3 = 3×
15 5 5
7 6 63
= 5 -3 =
15 15 5

1 3
=2 = 12
15 5
 We can use known facts and place value to make calculations easier.

You know that if 3 x 8 = 24, then

30 x 800 = 24 000. The same applies to fractions.

Example 11:
3
a.) If 240 × = 180, what is :
4
3 3 3 2
i.) 240 × ⇒ is half of (so 240 × is half of 180 = 90)
8 8 4 8

3 3
ii.) 24 × ⇒ 24 is 10 times smaller th an 240, so 24 × = 9.
8 8
 We can use known facts and place value to make calculations easier.

You know that if 3 x 8 = 24, then

30 x 800 = 24 000. The same applies to fractions.

Example 11:
3
a.) If 240 × = 180, what is :
4
3 3 3 2
i.) 240 × ⇒ is half of (so 240 × is half of 180 = 90)
8 8 4 8

3 3
ii.) 24 × ⇒ 24 is 10 times smaller th an 240, so 24 × = 9.
8 8