4 24 As A Fraction

multiply fractions — Multiplying fractions is like shooting fish in a barrel if you just follow three simple steps. HowStuffWorks

You might have been in fifth grade the last time you lot idea most multiplying fractions. But if you're trying to cutting a recipe in half or summate the new price of a sale sweater using fractions, you might demand to dig around in the dorsum of your memory for how to practise it. Let's refresh:

In every fraction, at that place's a pinnacle number and a bottom number, separated by a short horizontal line. In a proper fraction, the smaller number — called the numerator — will e'er exist on top, while the larger number — the denominator — volition be on the lesser. The numerator tells u.s.a. how many units nosotros take of a whole and the denominator tells us how many units make upwards the whole. Then, in the fraction 1/2, one is the numerator and 2 is the denominator — in that location are 2 units in the whole, just this fraction tells us that we only accept ane of these units.

Unlike when you are adding or subtracting fractions, y'all can multiply fractions with different denominators. For example, information technology'south not a trouble to multiply three/4 x two/5.

Contents

Step 1
Stride 2
Step iii

Pace 1

The first step in multiplying two fractions together is to multiply the numerators together.

3 x 2 = 6

Step 2

The second step is to multiply the denominators together.

4 ten 5 = twenty

Easy plenty! So our fraction now looks similar this:

3/4 10 2/5 = half-dozen/20

Pace 3

The 3rd pace is to simplify, or reduce, the fraction, because there's a ameliorate way to read a fraction.

To do this, we notice the largest number we can divide both the numerator and denominator by in gild to reduce the fraction. In this example, the highest number that divides evenly into both is 2, so the reduced reply to this multiplication problem is 3/10.