Multiply Fractions & Decimals
To multiply fractions and decimals, follow these steps:
1. If any of the numbers are decimals, convert them to fractions. For example, if you have the decimal 0.5, convert it to the fraction 1/2.
2. Multiply the numerators (the top numbers) of the fractions together to get the new numerator.
3. Multiply the denominators (the bottom numbers) of the fractions together to get the new denominator.
4. If needed, simplify the fraction by finding the greatest common factor (GCF) of the numerator and denominator, and then divide both numerator and denominator by the GCF.
5. If necessary, convert the fraction back into a decimal by dividing the numerator by the denominator.
Let's go through an example:
Example: Multiply 1/3 by 0.5
1. No decimals are present, so we don't need to convert any numbers.
2. Multiply the numerators: 1 * 1 = 1.
3. Multiply the denominators: 3 * 2 = 6.
4. The fraction 1/3 is already in its simplest form.
5. To convert the fraction 1/3 into a decimal, divide 1 by 3: 1 ÷ 3 = 0.3333 (rounded to four decimal places).
Therefore, 1/3 multiplied by 0.5 equals 0.3333.
To multiply fractions, follow these steps:
Step 1: Multiply the numerators (the top numbers) together.
Step 2: Multiply the denominators (the bottom numbers) together.
Step 3: Write the product of the numerators over the product of the denominators.
For example, let's multiply 2/3 by 4/5:
Step 1: 2 multiplied by 4 equals 8.
Step 2: 3 multiplied by 5 equals 15.
Step 3: The product is 8/15.
To multiply decimals, follow these steps:
Step 1: Treat the decimals as if they were whole numbers.
Step 2: Multiply the numbers as if they were whole numbers.
Step 3: Count the total number of decimal places in both numbers.
Step 4: Place the decimal point in your answer by moving from right to left, counting the number of decimal places from step 3.
Here's an example:
Let's multiply 1.5 by 0.2:
Step 1: Treat the decimals as whole numbers: 15 multiplied by 2 equals 30.
Step 2: Count the decimal places: 1 in 1.5 and 1 in 0.2, which adds up to 2 decimal places.
Step 3: Write the product as 30.
Step 4: Place the decimal point: Move from right to left, counting the number of decimal places from step 2. In this case, the decimal point should be placed two places from the right, resulting in 0.30 or simply 0.3.
Therefore, 1.5 multiplied by 0.2 is equal to 0.3.
To multiply fractions and decimals, you can follow these steps:
1. Multiply the numerators (top numbers) together to find the new numerator.
2. Multiply the denominators (bottom numbers) together to find the new denominator.
3. Simplify the resulting fraction if necessary.
4. If you are multiplying a fraction by a decimal, convert the decimal to a fraction first.
Here's an example to illustrate the process:
Example 1: Multiply two fractions
Let's say we want to multiply 2/3 by 1/4.
Step 1: Multiply the numerators: 2 x 1 = 2.
Step 2: Multiply the denominators: 3 x 4 = 12.
Step 3: Simplify the fraction if needed. In this case, it's already in simplest form.
The result is 2/12 or 1/6.
Example 2: Multiply a fraction by a decimal
Let's say we want to multiply 1/3 by 0.5.
Step 1: Convert the decimal to a fraction. 0.5 can be written as 1/2.
Step 2: Multiply the fractions: 1/3 x 1/2.
Step 3: Multiply the numerators: 1 x 1 = 1.
Step 4: Multiply the denominators: 3 x 2 = 6.
Step 5: Simplify the resulting fraction if necessary. In this case, it's already in simplest form.
The result is 1/6.
Remember to simplify the fraction whenever possible by dividing the numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor.