MULTIPLICATION: Problem 3

Rule 12: To multiply a whole number and a fraction, complete the following steps.

1.

Convert the whole number to a fraction. (See Rule 8)

2.

Multiply the numerators.

3.

Multiply the denominators.

4.

Reduce the results. (See Rule 10)
a.
Factor the product of the numerators.
b.
Factor the product of the denominators.
c.
Look for the fractions that have a value of 1.

Problem 3: Multiply tex2html_wrap_inline47 and reduce the answer.

Answer. Multiply the numerators and multiply the denominators, but leave them in factored form tex2html_wrap_inline49 . Then reduce the fraction by factoring the numerator and the denominator and locate the fraction within the mix that has a value of 1. See the following steps:

The answer to the problem is tex2html_wrap_inline53 .

You can check the answer with your calculator. Calculate 6 divided by 15, calculate 9 divided by 72, and multiply the results. Calculate 1 divided by 20. If the two answers are the same, you have worked the problem correctly.

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Author: Nancy Marcus