What Is 1/2 + 1/4?

1/2 + 1/4 = 3/4, which is 0.75 as a decimal.

Result

Answer

\frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{4} = \textcolor{#0b5c56}{\frac{3}{4}}

The sum is 3/4 in simplest form.

  • Decimal: \displaystyle 0.75
  • Percent: 75%

3 of 4 equal parts

Step-by-step solution

The problem

\frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{4}

  1. Write both fractions over 4. 4 is a multiple of 2:
    2 × 2 = 4
    So 4 is the least common denominator. Multiply the top and bottom of each fraction by the same number, so its value doesn't change.

    \frac{1}{2} = \frac{1 \times 2}{2 \times 2} = \frac{2}{4}
    = \textcolor{#0b5c56}{\frac{2}{4}} + \frac{1}{4}

  2. Add the numerators. Keep the denominator 4.

    = \frac{2 + 1}{4} = \textcolor{#0b5c56}{\frac{3}{4}}

  3. Check that it can't be simplified. 3 and 4 have no common factor other than 1, so this is the simplest form.

    \text{GCF}(3, 4) = 1

All the working together

\begin{aligned} &\frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{4} \\[8pt] &= \frac{1 \times 2}{2 \times 2} + \frac{1}{4} && \textcolor{#5b6660}{\textsf{LCD}} \\[8pt] &= \frac{2}{4} + \frac{1}{4} \\[8pt] &= \frac{2 + 1}{4} && \textcolor{#5b6660}{\textsf{add}} \\[8pt] &= \textcolor{#0b5c56}{\frac{3}{4}}\end{aligned}

The answer in other forms

Simplest form3/4
Decimal0.75
Percent75%
Same fractions1/2 − 1/4, 1/2 × 1/4, 1/2 ÷ 1/4

1/2 plus other fractions

SumAnswer
1/2 + 1/21
1/2 + 1/35/6
1/2 + 2/37/6
1/2 + 1/43/4
1/2 + 3/45/4
1/2 + 1/57/10
1/2 + 2/59/10
1/2 + 3/511/10
1/2 + 4/513/10
1/2 + 1/62/3
1/2 + 5/64/3
1/2 + 1/85/8
1/2 + 3/87/8
1/2 + 5/89/8
1/2 + 7/811/8

Frequently asked questions

What is 1/2 + 1/4?

1/2 + 1/4 = 3/4 (0.75 as a decimal).

How do you add 1/2 and 1/4?

Write both over a common denominator, add the numerators and simplify. The working above shows each step.

Other fractions, mixed numbers or up to five terms: use the Fraction Calculator.