SAVE IT, CHANGE IT, FLIP IT.
That is all you need to remember when dividing fractions. Easy as 1, 2, 3. Seriously, it's almost as easy as multiplying; you just need to add one more step, multiply by the reciprocal of the 2nd fraction. Let's look at this example:
SAVE IT. Keep the first fraction the same | |
CHANGE IT and FLIP IT. Change the division sign to a multiplication sign. Take the reciprocal of the second fraction. | |
Now, multiply and reduce as usual | |
And here's our answer. |
Look Out: always flip the second fraction, not the first!
Division Example 1
Division Example 2
First, turn 10 into a fraction by placing over a denominator of 1. |
Division Example 3
Change the mixed numbers into improper fractions. A rule of thumb: if a problem initially presents a fraction as a mixed number, then the answer should be written as a mixed number, not an improper fraction. |