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Addition and Subtraction of Fractions
If a candy bar is broken into two parts to share, it is incorrect for you to say, "I want the bigger half." If a candy bar is truly broken into two halves, then both parts would be equal. One half of the candy bar combined with the other half would equal the whole candy bar. The fraction  Before computing with fractions, it's important to understand the meanings of the numerator and denominator of a fraction. Figure 1 shows a rectangle divided into four equal parts. 
Figure 1  represents three of four equal parts shaded. The 3, or numerator, tells you how many parts are shaded, while the 4, or denominator, shows how many equal parts the whole is divided into.
Figure 2  +  , you add only the numerators, while keeping the same denominator ( + =  ). A pictorial demonstration of addition of fractions with like denominators provides a much clearer explanation of why we do not add the denominators. Figure 3 shows a rectangle divided into six equal parts.
Figure 3 + , the result is , which means five of six equal parts shaded, as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 4
+ = is a fraction with a denominator of 6. Since you have added two of six equal parts to three of six equal parts your result is five of six equal parts. Similarly, if you were to start with 5 parts shaded, then erase the shading from 2 parts, 3 shaded parts would remain. Thus, .
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means one of two equal parts. The 1 is the numerator, and the 2 is the denominator of the fraction.
