How to Divide and Multiply Fractions

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Multiply the numerators of the fractions.

   The numerator is the number on the top of a fraction and the denominator is the number on the bottom.
   
   The first step to multiplying fractions is to line them up so that their numerators and denominators are next to each other.
   
   If you're multiplying the fraction 1/2 by 12/48, then the first thing you want to do is multiply the numerators, 1 and
   12. 1 x 12 =
   12.
   
   Write the product, 12, in the numerator of the answer.
2. 2

   Step 2: Multiply the denominators of the fractions.

   Now, you'll just have to do the same thing with the denominators.
   
   Multiply 2 and 48 to find the new denominator. 2 x 48 =
   96.
   
   Write this answer in the denominator of the new fraction.
   
   Therefore, the new fraction is 12/96. , The last step is to simplify the result if it can be done.
   
   To simplify a fraction, you have to find the greatest common factor (GCF) of both the numerator and the denominator.
   
   The GCF is the largest number that can be evenly divided into both numbers.
   
   In the case of 12 and 96, 12 happens to evenly divide into
   96.
   
   So, divide 12 by 12 to get 1, and divide 96 by 12 to get
   8.
   
   Therefore, 12/96 ÷ 12/12 = 1/8.
   
   If both numbers are even, you can also start by dividing them both by 2 and keep going. 12/96 ÷ 2/2 = 6/48 ÷ 2/2 = 3/24.
   
   Then you may notice that 3 goes evenly into 24, so you can divide both the numerator and denominator by 3 to get 1/8. 3/24 ÷ 3/3 = 1/8.
3. 3

   Step 3: Simplify the fraction.

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