Multiplying and Dividing Fractions - Word Problems

Front

What is a fraction?

Back

A fraction represents a part of a whole and is written as 'a/b', where 'a' is the numerator (part) and 'b' is the denominator (whole).

Front

What does it mean to multiply fractions?

Back

Multiplying fractions involves multiplying the numerators together and the denominators together. For example, (a/b) × (c/d) = (a×c)/(b×d).

Front

What does it mean to divide fractions?

Back

Dividing fractions means multiplying by the reciprocal of the divisor. For example, (a/b) ÷ (c/d) = (a/b) × (d/c).

Front

How do you solve a word problem involving fractions?

Back

Identify the quantities involved, translate the words into a mathematical expression, and then perform the necessary operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division).

Front

What is the reciprocal of a fraction?

Back

The reciprocal of a fraction is obtained by flipping the numerator and denominator. For example, the reciprocal of 3/4 is 4/3.

Front

If you have 10 inches of ribbon and cut it into pieces that are 1/5 inch long, how many pieces do you get?

Back

You can cut 10 ÷ (1/5) = 10 × 5 = 50 pieces.

Front

If Bradley has 1/2 of a pizza and eats 3/5 of it, how much pizza does he eat?

Back

He eats (1/2) × (3/5) = 3/10 of the pizza.

Front

In Maddie’s garden, if 1/3 of her plants are tomatoes and 2/5 of those are ripe, what fraction of the total plants are ripe tomatoes?

Back

The fraction of ripe tomatoes is (1/3) × (2/5) = 2/15.

Front

If Coach Peters has 12 gallons of water and each bucket needs 1/3 gallon, how many buckets can he fill?

Back

He can fill 12 ÷ (1/3) = 12 × 3 = 36 buckets.

Front

If 16 friends share 4 Pop-Tarts equally, what fraction of a Pop-Tart does each friend get?

Back

Each friend gets 4 ÷ 16 = 1/4 of a Pop-Tart.