Q. Evaluate the expression shown below and write your answer as a fraction in simplest form.73+83Answer:
Identify LCD: Identify the Least Common Denominator (LCD) for the fractions73 and 83. The denominators are 7 and 8. The LCD for 7 and 8 is 56 because 56 is the smallest number that both 7 and 8 can divide into without leaving a remainder.
Convert to Equivalent Fraction: Convert each fraction to an equivalent fraction with the LCD as the denominator.For 73, multiply both the numerator and the denominator by 8 to get the equivalent fraction with a denominator of 56.(73)×(88)=5624For 83, multiply both the numerator and the denominator by 7 to get the equivalent fraction with a denominator of 56.(83)×(77)=5621
Add Equivalent Fractions: Add the equivalent fractions.Now that both fractions have the same denominator, we can add them directly.5624+5621=5624+21=5645
Simplify Fraction: Simplify the fraction, if possible.In this case, 45 and 56 have no common factors other than 1, so the fraction 5645 is already in its simplest form.