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A compound fraction is a fraction of a fraction, or any number of fractions connected with the word of, [22] [23] corresponding to multiplication of fractions. To reduce a compound fraction to a simple fraction, just carry out the multiplication (see § Multiplication).
For example, multiplication is granted a higher precedence than addition, and it has been this way since the introduction of modern algebraic notation. [2] [3] Thus, in the expression 1 + 2 × 3, the multiplication is performed before addition, and the expression has the value 1 + (2 × 3) = 7, and not (1 + 2) × 3 = 9.
When the remainder is kept as a fraction, it leads to a rational number. The set of all rational numbers is created by extending the integers with all possible results of divisions of integers. Unlike multiplication and addition, division is not commutative, meaning that a / b is not always equal to b / a. [6]
Multiplication is an arithmetic operation in which two numbers, called the multiplier and the multiplicand, are combined into a single number called the product. [50] [d] The symbols of multiplication are , , and *.
Generalization to fractions is by multiplying the numerators and denominators, respectively: = (). This gives the area of a rectangle A B {\displaystyle {\frac {A}{B}}} high and C D {\displaystyle {\frac {C}{D}}} wide, and is the same as the number of things in an array when the rational numbers happen to be whole numbers.
Note that even simple equations like = are solved using cross-multiplication, since the missing b term is implicitly equal to 1: =. Any equation containing fractions or rational expressions can be simplified by multiplying both sides by the least common denominator.