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How to Get the LCD of a Fraction

A fraction is a special number that represents a part of a whole. Take the fraction 1/4, for example. We call 1 the "numerator" and 4 the "denominator;" there are 4 parts that make up the whole, and the fraction 1/4 represents 1 of these 4 parts. Now let's say we have a bunch of fractions. The Lowest Common Denominator is the smallest multiple of all of the denominators.

Instructions

- 1
  Write down your list of fractions. For example, let's say we have 3 fractions: 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4.
- 2
  Find the multiples for each denominator. For each fraction, write down the denominator, and then multiply it by 2, 3, 4 and up to the multiple of 6 in our example:
  2: (2 * 2 =) 4, (2 * 3 =) 6, 8, 10, 12
  3: (3 * 2 =) 6, (3 * 3 =) 9, 12, 15, 18
  4: (4 * 2 =) 8, (4 * 3 =) 12, 16, 20, 24
- 3
  Look for the lowest number that appears in all of your lists. If there is no number that appears in all of your lists, go back to Step 2 and calculate more multiples for each denominator. In our example, this number is 12.

Numerology