Title: LESSON: Dividing Fractions
Course: Mathematics Essentials Q1 > Section: Week 9

Dividing Fractions

INTRODUCTION

Dividing Fractions

READ: Divide Fractions and Mixed Numbers

Divide Fractions and Mixed Numbers

By now you have a pretty solid understanding of how fractions work. You can add, subtract and multiply fractions. Of course, it will also be extremely helpful to learn to divide fractions. There are plenty of real-world situations in which you can use your expertise at dividing fractions.

Dividing fractions is a lot like multiplying fractions. In fact, it’s exactly like multiplying fractions! Remember that when you divide two numbers, one number is the dividend and the other number is the divisor. For example, in the division problem is the dividend and is the divisor. To divide two fractions, you simply multiply the dividend by the inverted divisor. How do you invert the divisor? Just flip the fraction over! inverted becomes inverted becomes . This inverted fraction is also called a reciprocal.

Example

In this example, one-half is the divisor. We need to flip the divisor so that we multiply by the reciprocal. Here is a rhyme to help you remember

When dividing fractions, never wonder why

Flip the second and multiply

Now we rewrite the problem as a multiplication problem.

Next, we multiply across.

Our last step is to simplify the fraction part of the mixed number.

Our answer is .

How do we divide mixed numbers?

Just like with multiplying fractions, if you are dividing mixed numbers, you have to first convert the mixed number to an improper fraction. Remember how multiplying by fractions usually gave us a product that was smaller than one of the factors? Well, with dividing you usually get an answer that is larger than the divisor or the dividend. But either way, the rhyme is still going to apply here too. Let’s look at some examples.

Example

First, we convert both of these mixed numbers to improper fractions. Let’s rewrite the problem with these numbers.

Now we change this to a multiplication problem by multiplying by the reciprocal.

Next, we can simplify on the diagonals.

Our answer is 2.

READ: Inverse Property of Multiplication

Identify and Apply the Inverse Property of Multiplication in Fraction Operations

We have already explored the world of algebra in our discussions of addition, subtraction and multiplication of fractions. Now that we know how to divide fractions, we can go even further in dealing with equations and solving more sophisticated problems. Do you remember the inverse property of addition? Through this property, we learned how we could add any number to its negative to get 0 [any number ].

Multiplication has its own inverse property too. The inverse property of multiplication states that any number multiplied by its inverse is equal to 1 [any number ]. Let’s test the property using simple numbers.

You may have realized that multiplying a number by its inverse, is essentially dividing the original number by itself. .

As we get into algebra, this property is very useful for simplifying equations containing an unknown or variable. Remember that the word equation means that the value of the left side of the equals sign is the same as the value of the right side of the equals sign. So, I can add, subtract, multiply or divide a number into one side of the equation as long as I do the same thing to the other side of the equation.

Consider this example.

Simple enough, right? The left side of the equation is the same as the right side of the equation. If I add 2 to one side of the equation, I have to add the same thing to the other side of the equation, so that the equation is still equal.

Or, if I subtract from the left side of the equation, I subtract from the right side of the equation:

If I multiply the right side of the equation by , then I have to multiply the left side by .

After, we do this, we get .

Example

Solve for

When we see a variable next to a number as in this example, , it is a faster and cleaner way of writing . The operation in this equation is multiplication.

In order for us to find out the value of , we have to work with the equation, so that we get by itself on one side of the equation. We want to get the equation to say, “ ” with a whole number on the other side of the equals sign. In this equation, we can get by itself by using the Inverse Property of Multiplication to cancel out the 3 on the left side of the equation. To do this, we multiply both sides of the equation by .

Because of the inverse property of multiplication , so we were able to simplify the equation to get by itself.

or is the same as simply , so now we only have to multiply 12 and .

.

Our answer is that is equal to 4.

Example

Solve for

Again, we want to get by itself on one side of the equation. Let’s try using the Inverse Property of Multiplication to cancel out the fraction . In order to do this, we need to multiply both sides of the equation by the inverse of .

Now we just multiply the fractions: . Don’t forget to simplify!

Our answer is that is equal to 10.

WATCH: Dividing Fractions

WATCH: Modeling Dividing Fractions

WATCH: Dividing Mixed Numbers

EXAMPLE 1

EXAMPLE 2

EXAMPLE 3

EXAMPLE 4

EXAMPLE 5

CHECK Yourself! Dividing Fractions