Question

-1/5 + 5/2

can we cancel 5 while adding two fractions??​

Answer 1

Answer:

No.

Step-by-step explanation:

Cancelling works only when multiplying and dividing. Your answer would be incorrect if you attempt to cancel during addition.

Your question can be solved by taking LCM:

$\frac{-1}{5} + \frac{5}{2}\\= \frac{(-1 \times 2) + (5 \times 5)}{5 \times 2}$

$= \frac{(-2) + (25)}{10}\\= \frac{23}{10} \\= 2.3$

If we tried cancelling:

$\frac{-1}{5} + \frac{5}{2}\\= \frac{-1}{1} + \frac{1}{2}\\= \frac{(-1 \times 2) + (1 \times 1)}{1 \times 2}\\= \frac{-2+1}{2}\\= \frac{-1}{2}\\= -0.5$

This answer is clearly incorrect.

Any corrections or suggestions for improvement are welcome :)