\begin{tabular}{l} 12. \( \frac{2}{5}+\left(-\frac{1}{2}\right)+\left(-\frac{3}{5}\right) \) \\ \hline Application of Real Numbers \\ \hline\end{tabular}

Did you know that understanding fractions like \( \frac{2}{5} \), \( -\frac{1}{2} \), and \( -\frac{3}{5} \) is not just confined to textbooks? In real life, these numbers pop up everywhere! Whether you’re cooking and adjusting recipes, splitting a bill, or even measuring distances, fractions are your trusty sidekicks that help you navigate day-to-day challenges with ease and precision. When adding fractions, especially with negative numbers, a common pitfall is forgetting to find a common denominator. For this example, you would first convert \( -\frac{1}{2} \) to \( -\frac{5}{10} \) and \( -\frac{3}{5} \) to \( -\frac{6}{10} \) in order to add them correctly! So remember, always align those denominators like dance partners at a ball to avoid any missteps in your calculations!