How to Divide Fractions
There are a few different ways to divide fractions. You can divide them by 2 or you can multiply them diagonally. Here are some tips to help you with the process. Once you’ve learned the basic steps, you can move on to more advanced techniques. Here are some common methods: Keep-Change-Flip, Inverse multiplication, and Cross multiplication.
Keep-Change-Flip method
If you want to learn how to divide fractions, Alex Holben’s Keep-Change-Flip method can help you. Its name suggests that the first fraction is kept the same, while the second is changed to the reciprocal of the first fraction. The answer will then be expressed as 15/2 or 7 & 1/2.
This method can help you break misconceptions about fractions. It requires more time, repetition and work, but it will give you a better understanding of fractions.
Inverse multiplication method
The first step in dividing fractions is to find a common denominator for both fractions. Then, invert or flip the second fraction. Finally, change the problem to a multiplication problem. In this method, the least common multiple (LCM) is used as the denominator. The result is the fraction multiplied by the reciprocal of the fraction.
The inverse multiplication method to divide fractions is similar to the division method. The difference between the two methods lies in the fact that they are inverse operations. For example, the fraction 1/5 fits perfectly into a two-thirds thirds fraction. This means that it can be multiplied by two to make it equal to one fifth.
Cross multiplication method
There are several ways to divide fractions, including multiplying by two or multiplying diagonals. The cross multiplication method is an alternative method that is more straightforward. This method involves multiplying the top and bottom parts of a fraction, and determining whether they are equivalent. In this way, you can easily see whether two fractions are equivalent.
The cross-multiplication method reduces fractions by canceling out the factors that are the same. When you use this method, you must make sure that there are no duplicate factors. This way, you can get a product that is seven / two.
Simplifying fractions
Simplifying fractions involves reducing a fraction to its simplest form. To do this, divide the numerator and denominator by a common factor. In this way, the fractions will still have the same value. However, the denominator and numerator will have a lower value.
In some cases, the numerator and denominator of a fraction will have more than one common factor. When the common factors are all equal, the fraction will be simpler.
