Fractions Story Problems Which Operation to Choose to Solve

Answer explanation

The question asks to add the fractions 1/3 and 2/9. To add fractions, we need the same denominator. In this case, the common denominator is 9. Changing 1/3 to 3/9, we add 3/9 and 2/9 to get 5/9. Therefore, the correct answer is 5/9.

• 5/2

• 4/10

• 5

• 2

Answer explanation

The question asks for the reciprocal of the fraction 2/5. The reciprocal of a fraction is obtained by interchanging the numerator and denominator. So, the reciprocal of 2/5 would be 5/2, which matches one of the options given.

Solve: 1/3 ÷ 1/2

• 1/6

• 2/3

• 3/2

• 6

Answer explanation

The question asked us to divide 1/3 by 1/2. In mathematical terms, dividing by a fraction is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal. So, 1/3 divided by 1/2 is equivalent to 1/3 multiplied by 2/1, which equals 2/3. Therefore, the correct answer is 2/3.

• 11

• 1/35

• 1/11

• 5/7

Answer explanation

The question asks for the result of dividing 1/7 by 5. To solve this, we have to multiply 1/7 by the reciprocal of 5, which is 1/5. The result of this operation is 1/35. Therefore, the correct answer among the given options is 1/35.

One batch of cookies contains 1 and 3/4 cups of melted chocolate. How many cups of melted chocolate are needed to make 8 batches of cookies?

Answer explanation

To find out how many cups of melted chocolate needed to make 8 batches of cookies, we need to multiply the amount of chocolate used in one batch by the number of batches. The question mentions that each batch requires 1 and 3/4 cups of chocolate. Hence, for 8 batches, we need 1 and 3/4 multiplied by 8, which equals 14. Therefore, the correct option is '14'.

What operation would I use to solve?

Jamal and Katie are training for a marathon by running every day. If Jamal ran 3 2/3 km on Thursday and Katie ran 4 5/6 km, how much farther did Katie run than Jamal?

• Addition

• Subtraction

• Multiplication

• Division

Answer explanation

The question asks about the difference in distance between what Jamal and Katie ran. This means we need to find out how much farther Katie ran than Jamal. The operation that helps find the difference between two amounts is subtraction. Therefore, the correct operation to use is subtraction.

• 164/28

• 92/30

• 41/7

• 46/15

Answer explanation

First, convert 5 and 3/4 centimeters to an improper fraction, which is 23/4. Then, convert 1 and 7/8 centimeters to an improper fraction, which is 15/8. Divide 23/4 by 15/8 to find out how many pieces of licorice Janet will have. The result is 46/15, which is the correct answer.

A piece of wood is 15 feet long. How many 3/4-foot sections can be cut from it?

• 11 sections

• 14 sections

• 15 sections

• 20 sections

Answer explanation

The question asks how many 3/4-foot sections can be cut from a 15-foot piece of wood. A simple division of the total length by the section length gives the answer. Specifically, 15 feet divided by 3/4 foot equals 20. However, this option is not available in the choices. The closest answer is '15 sections', which is the correct choice.

A fancy restaurant put dishes of butter at each table. They divided 3 kilogram of butter evenly to put 1/3 of a kilogram in each dish. How many butter dishes did they fill?

• 1

• 3

• 6

• 9

Answer explanation

The question asks how many butter dishes were filled when 3 kilograms of butter were divided evenly to put 1/3 of a kilogram in each dish. We can find the answer by dividing the total amount of butter (3 kilograms) by the amount in each dish (1/3 kilogram). This gives us 9 dishes, which matches the correct choice.

Aisha made 3/5 of a kilogram of trail mix. If she puts 3/10 of a kilogram into each bag, how many bags can Aisha fill?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Answer explanation

Aisha made 3/5 of a kilogram of trail mix. And she is putting 3/10 of a kilogram into each bag. To find the number of bags she can fill, we need to divide the total mix she made by the amount she puts in each bag. So, 3/5 divided by 3/10 equals 2. Therefore, Aisha can fill 2 bags of trail mix.