The vvell spryng of sciences whiche teacheth the perfecte woorke and practise of arithmeticke, bothe in whole nombers and fractions, with suche easie and compendious instruction into the said arte, as hath not heretofore been by any sette out nor laboured. Beautified with moste necessary rules and questions, not onely profitable for marchauntes, but also for all artificers, as in the table doeth partlie appere: set forthe by Humfrey Baker citezeine of Lo[n]don.

¶ Reduction of broken nombers, and the partes of bro∣ken together.

IF you will reduce ⅓. and the ½ of ⅓. together, to bryng them into one broken nomber, you muste firste sette doune the ⅓. and ½. as appeareth in the margent with a crosse be∣twene 〈 math 〉〈 math 〉 theim, and then multiply the twoo deno∣minators. The one by the other, that is to saie, 2. by 3. maketh. 6 set that vnder the crosse, then multiplie the firste numerator, one by the laste denominator twoo, and that maketh. 2. vnto the whiche

adde the laste numerator one, and thei be three, whiche set aboue your crosse, so you shall finde that the ⅕ and the ½ of ••/3. doe make 3/6. whiche beyng abre∣uied doeth make ⅓, which is as much as the. ⅓. and the. ½. of. ⅓. Likewise if you will reduce the ⅔, and the ¼. of ⅓. you must doe as before, set doune the ⅔ and ¼ with a crosse betwene thē, & then multiplie the twoo denominators, the one by the other, that is to saie. 3. by. 4 maketh. 12. whiche set vnder the crosse 〈 math 〉〈 math 〉 as you see in the margent, and then multiplie the firste numerator 2 by the last denominator. 4. and thereof com∣meth. 8. whereunto adde the laste nu∣merator. 1. and that maketh: 9. whiche sette ouer the crosse, so shall you finde that the ⅔. and the ¼ of ⅓ are worthe 9/••, whiche abreuied, dooe make ¼, as appeareth by exam∣ple in the margent.