# Summing Odd Fractions to One From the list 1/3,1/5,1/7,1/9,1/11..... is it possible to chose a limited number of terms that sum to one? This can be done with even fractions: 1/2,1/4,1/8,1/12,1/24

Jaylen Dudley 2022-09-12 Answered
Summing Odd Fractions to One
From the list $\frac{1}{3},\frac{1}{5},\frac{1}{7},\frac{1}{9},\frac{1}{11}$..... is it possible to chose a limited number of terms that sum to one? This can be done with even fractions: $\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{4},\frac{1}{8},\frac{1}{12},\frac{1}{24}$
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Caiden Li
Such a representation of a fraction as the sum of fractions with numerator 1 and different denominators is called Egyption fraction, because that was the way fractions were written in ancient Egypt. It's clear that for 1, we must have an odd number of summands, because otherwise the numerator of the sum would be even and the denominator odd. As it turns out, the minimal number is 9, and there are the following 5 solutions:
$\begin{array}{rl}1& =\frac{1}{3}+\frac{1}{5}+\frac{1}{7}+\frac{1}{9}+\frac{1}{11}+\frac{1}{15}+\frac{1}{35}+\frac{1}{45}+\frac{1}{231}\\ 1& =\frac{1}{3}+\frac{1}{5}+\frac{1}{7}+\frac{1}{9}+\frac{1}{11}+\frac{1}{15}+\frac{1}{21}+\frac{1}{231}+\frac{1}{315}\\ 1& =\frac{1}{3}+\frac{1}{5}+\frac{1}{7}+\frac{1}{9}+\frac{1}{11}+\frac{1}{15}+\frac{1}{33}+\frac{1}{45}+\frac{1}{385}\\ 1& =\frac{1}{3}+\frac{1}{5}+\frac{1}{7}+\frac{1}{9}+\frac{1}{11}+\frac{1}{15}+\frac{1}{21}+\frac{1}{165}+\frac{1}{693}\\ 1& =\frac{1}{3}+\frac{1}{5}+\frac{1}{7}+\frac{1}{9}+\frac{1}{11}+\frac{1}{15}+\frac{1}{21}+\frac{1}{135}+\frac{1}{10395}\end{array}$

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