Table of Contents
What is a Denominator?
The denominator is the bottom number in a fraction.
It shows how many equal parts the item is divided into
Examples
The denominator of ½ is 2
Common Denominator?
When the denominators of 2 or more fractions are the same, they have Common Denominators.
Examples
¾ and ¼ have Common Denominators
Finding a Common Denominator
One simple answer is to multiply the current denominators together.
Examples
¾ and ½
One of common denominators of those fractions is
4 × 2 = 8
So instead of having 4 or 2, we will make both of them have 8.
They now have common denominators (but not the least common denominator)
Least Common Denominator
Least Common Denominator is the smallest of all the common denominators.
how to find out?
- List the multiples of denominators
- Find the smallest number that is the same
Example
Fraction | Multipe of denominator | Smallest common multiple |
¾ | 4, 8, 12, 16, … | 4 |
½ | 2, 4, 6, 8, … | 4 |
So the Least Common Denominator of ¾ and ½ is 4.