One could explain the mistake to have different units on both side without fractions at all:
1+1=1
One shoe plus one shoe equals one pair of shoes.
Once they grasp that explaining the fraction issue should be easier.
1+1=1
One shoe plus one shoe equals one pair of shoes.
Once they grasp that explaining the fraction issue should be easier.
Like, "students at table A" and "students at table B" are both of the same dimension as "students", but are different units. Like meters and miles. You can add them together, but only if you know the factors needed to convert them to a common unit. In this case, the conversion factors are, how many students are at table A and how many at table B.