Question

How do you evaluate `-5 2 / 3+ 3 1/ 4+ ( - 7 1/ 3)`?

Answer 1

`-117/12` (improper fraction) or `-9 3/4`(mixed number)

Explanation:

There are several ways you can solve this. Here is one:

First, this equals `-5 2/3 + 3 1/4 - 7 1/3`

To make this easier, I would change this into an improper fraction first, so now we have `-17/3, 13/4, and -22/3`

Now, we have to find a common denominator, and we usually use the "LCD" or Lowest Common Denominator. The LCD here would be 12.

To make each of them have a common denominator of 12, we have to multiply both the numerator and denominator of each fraction by 4, 3, and 4 respectively. So now we get:
`-68/12 + 39/12 - 88/12`

Now we just add the numerators together, since we now have common denominators:
The final answer is:
`-117/12` (improper fraction) or `-9 3/4`(mixed number)