Dividing Fractions

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

Dividing fractions involves finding out how many times one fraction fits into another. This is done by multiplying the first fraction by the reciprocal of the second fraction.

The reciprocal of a fraction is obtained by flipping the numerator and denominator. For example, the reciprocal of $$\frac{a}{b}$$ is $$\frac{b}{a}$$ .

To divide a fraction by a whole number, multiply the denominator of the fraction by that whole number. For example, $$\frac{1}{4} \div 2 = \frac{1}{4} \times \frac{1}{2} = \frac{1}{8}$$ .

To divide a whole number by a fraction, multiply the whole number by the reciprocal of the fraction. For example, $$4 \div \frac{1}{2} = 4 \times 2 = 8$$ .

The result is $$\frac{3}{4} \times 2 = \frac{3 \times 2}{4} = \frac{6}{4} = \frac{3}{2} = 1 \frac{1}{2}$$ .

She uses $$\frac{3}{4} \div 2 = \frac{3}{4} \times \frac{1}{2} = \frac{3}{8}$$ yards of ribbon for one frame.

Her cat received $$\frac{1}{4} \div 5 = \frac{1}{4} \times \frac{1}{5} = \frac{1}{20}$$ of the original bag each day.

The equation is $$\frac{1}{4} \div 6 = \frac{1}{4} \times \frac{1}{6} = \frac{1}{24}$$ .

The result is $$\frac{5}{6} \times \frac{3}{2} = \frac{15}{12} = 1 \frac{1}{4}$$ .