Absolutely! You can—and should—make fractions simpler after you add or subtract them. It helps your answer look nicer and be easier to understand. Let’s go through this step by step.

Adding and Subtracting Fractions

When you work with fractions in Year 7, you’ll see two types: fractions with the same bottom number (denominator) and those with different bottom numbers.

1. Same Denominators: This is when both fractions have the same bottom number. For example, if you add $\frac{2}{5} + \frac{1}{5}$, you can just add the top numbers (numerators) because the bottom numbers are the same:

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

   This answer is already in its simplest form.

2. Different Denominators: This part is a little trickier. Let’s say you want to add $\frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{3}$. First, we need to find a common bottom number, which in this case is 12. Now we’ll change each fraction:

   $\frac{1}{4} = \frac{3}{12} \quad \text{and} \quad \frac{1}{3} = \frac{4}{12}$

   Now you can add them:

   $\frac{3}{12} + \frac{4}{12} = \frac{7}{12}$

Simplifying

No matter if you’re adding or subtracting, it’s a great idea to simplify your answer if you can. For example, with $\frac{7}{12}$ from before, this fraction is already simple because 7 and 12 don’t have any numbers they can both be divided by other than 1.

However, let’s look at an example where you get $\frac{8}{12}$. You can simplify this because both the top and bottom numbers can be divided by 4:

$\frac{8 \div 4}{12 \div 4} = \frac{2}{3}$

Conclusion

In summary, yes, always make your fractions simpler after you add or subtract them! This will help you with harder math later on. Plus, who doesn’t want their answers to look neat and tidy? With practice, you’ll get better at seeing when a fraction can be simplified! Happy doing fractions!