Question

Ms. Legume wants to use 1/3 of her garden for lettuce and 1/2 for beans.
What fraction of the garden does she have left for each of her carrots and her peas if they both are to get the same amount of space?

Answer 1

1/3 and 1/2 both need to be given common denominators. So 6 would be a common denominator of both 2 and 3. So multiply both the top and bottom of 1/2 by 3 to get 3/6 and multiply 1/3's top and bottom by 2 to get 2/6. Add 2 + 3 to get 5. Put it back in fraction form to get 5/6 is used for lettuce and beans. So 1/6 is left for carrots and peas. Each needs the same amount. So 1/12 for each. Since 1/12 is the same as if you do 0.5/6.