Rules of fractions

Fractions

You can’t escape these basic rules for fractions – they’ll come up time and time again. So you
need to learn them, and practise them.

First, remember that the denominator (the bottom part) of a fraction can never equal zero. So
0 5
5
=0 but 0 is undefined (it has no answer)

Another quick rule is to remember that to get the reciprocal of a fraction, turn it upside down.
The reciprocal of a whole number is 1 over that number. For example,
2 11
the reciprocal of is
11 2
1
the reciprocal of 7 is
7

Mixed to improper

7
A number such as 2 53 is a mixed fraction, and a number such as is an improper fraction,
4
where the top number (numerator) is bigger than the bottom number (denominator).

To change the mixed fraction A bc to an Improper Fraction, use this rule :

𝑏 𝐴𝑐+𝑏
𝐴𝑐 = 𝑐
where 𝐴𝑐 means 𝐴 x 𝑐

For example,
4 (2×5)+4 14
2 = =
5 5 5

Improper to mixed

d
To change to the mixed fraction A bc , first see how many times c goes into d.
c
This will be your number A. The remainder will be b. The number c does not change.

For example,
23 2
7
= 37

using the fact that 7 into 23 is 3 remainder 2. The denominator 7 does not change.

Remember to cancel down when necessary:

14 2 1
4
= 34 = 32

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 Rules of fractions

Multiplying

Multiplying fractions is easy – just multiply straight across the top and straight across the
bottom:
3 2 6 2 3 6 3
7
x 5 = 35 and 5
x 4 = 20 = 10

Dividing

Dividing has one additional step: turn the second fraction “upside down” and then multiply :
3 4 3 5 15 3
10
÷ 5
= 10 x 4 = 40
=8

Note that you could have cancelled before multiplying:

3 5 3 1 3
× = x =
10 4 2 4 8

Adding and subtracting

Here’s a rule that works for all numbers :

𝑎 𝑐 𝑎𝑑±𝑏𝑐
± =
𝑏 𝑑 𝑏𝑑

For example,
2 4 (2×5) +(4×3) 22 7 1 4 (1×7)−(3×5) −8 8
3
+ 5
= 3×5
= 15
= 115 and 5
−5 = 5×7
= 35
= − 35

It’s not always necessary to use this rule however. For example:
When the bottom numbers are the same, just add the top numbers:

3 2 5
11
+ 11 = 11

Or find a common denominator first:

3 3 6 3 9
2
+4= 4
+4=4

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