You already know how to add two whole numbers, like 5 plus 4 (5 + 4). You can also add two fractions, like 
. But what if we mix the two together? Could you solve 5 + 
?
Adding a whole number and a fraction is not that difficult. The first thing you need to do is rewrite the whole number as a fraction. To do this, simply put 1 in the denominator. In the example, we just turn 5 into 
. Our problem now looks like this:
.
Next, we find the least common denominator for the two fractions. What is the least common denominator for 1 and 3? It's 3. We need to rewrite 
with a denominator of 3. To do this, we multiply the denominator by 3 and the top number (numerator) by 3. We end up with 
. Our problem now looks like this:
Now that the denominators are the same, we can add the top numbers to get our answer. What's 15 + 1? It's 16. So our answer is 
.
We use this process for adding and subtracting whole numbers and fractions.
