Fraction Calculator

Quick answer: To add or subtract fractions, convert both to a common denominator, combine the numerators, then reduce. To multiply, multiply the numerators and denominators straight across. To divide, invert the second fraction and multiply. Enter two fractions, with or without whole numbers, and this page shows the result in lowest terms and as a decimal.

This free fraction calculator adds, subtracts, multiplies and divides fractions, and it shows every step so you can actually follow how the answer is reached, not just read it off. Enter any two fractions, choose the operation, and you get the result simplified to its lowest terms, along with the decimal and percentage equivalents, so you have whichever form your task needs. It handles proper fractions like three quarters, improper or top-heavy fractions like seven over four, and mixed numbers like two and a half, all in the same place. Fractions are one of the parts of maths people most often find fiddly, because each operation works differently: adding and subtracting need a common denominator, multiplying goes straight across the top and bottom, and dividing means flipping the second fraction and multiplying. This calculator carries out the right method for whichever operation you pick, finds the common denominator for you where one is needed, and reduces the final answer using the greatest common divisor so it comes out in the form a teacher or exam marker expects. That makes it genuinely useful well beyond the classroom: a student checking homework or learning the steps, a parent helping with maths, a cook scaling a recipe up or down, a tradesperson combining awkward measurements, or anyone who simply wants a fast, correct answer. Because everything updates as you type, you can try different numbers and watch how the result and the working change, which builds real understanding rather than reliance. The worked examples and common questions below explain each operation in plain language so you can confidently do fractions by hand too.

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How to add fractions

To add two fractions, first find a common denominator (the lowest common multiple of the two denominators). Adjust each numerator to match the common denominator, then add the numerators. For example: 1/3 + 1/4. The LCM of 3 and 4 is 12. So 1/3 becomes 4/12 and 1/4 becomes 3/12. Adding the numerators gives 7/12. Subtracting fractions works the same way, but you subtract the numerators instead.

How to multiply and divide fractions

Multiplying fractions is simpler than adding them. Multiply the numerators together and the denominators together, then simplify. For example: 2/3 x 3/4 = 6/12 = 1/2. To divide fractions, flip the second fraction (find its reciprocal) and then multiply. For example: 2/3 divided by 4/5 = 2/3 x 5/4 = 10/12 = 5/6.

Who this calculator is for

This calculator is for students and anyone adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing or simplifying fractions.

What this calculator assumes

  • The fractions you enter.
  • Exact arithmetic, not decimal approximation.
  • Results are simplified to lowest terms.
  • Mixed numbers are handled as improper fractions internally.

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