College Math Placement Practice Test

What is the result of adding 5 1/2 and 3 9/10 after converting to improper fractions?

1. A. 8 1/5

2. B. 9 2/5

3. C. 8 2/5

4. D. 9 1/5

The correct answer is: B. 9 2/5

To find the sum of 5 1/2 and 3 9/10 by converting them to improper fractions, first we need to transform both mixed numbers into improper fractions. For 5 1/2: 1. Multiply the whole number (5) by the denominator (2): 5 × 2 = 10. 2. Add the numerator (1): 10 + 1 = 11. 3. Therefore, 5 1/2 as an improper fraction is 11/2. For 3 9/10: 1. Multiply the whole number (3) by the denominator (10): 3 × 10 = 30. 2. Add the numerator (9): 30 + 9 = 39. 3. Thus, 3 9/10 as an improper fraction is 39/10. Now, to add these two fractions, we need a common denominator. The least common multiple of 2 and 10 is 10. We convert 11/2 to have a denominator of 10 by multiplying both the numerator and denominator by 5: 11/2 = (11 × 5)/(2 × 5) = 55/10. Now