Fractions are a very
important expression of numbers in Mathematics. They are used in many computations including those that can relate to
real life situations. Fractions are by themselves a division of two values or
simply a representation of the parts of a division. You can be able to compute
many operations using the fraction including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In the article,
we will consider division involving fractions.
Before getting into details
of division involving fractions, it is important to understand the constituents
of a fraction itself. A fraction should always be in its simplest form. In case
the fraction is a mixed fraction, the first step should be to make it an
improper fraction. The number on top is called
the numerator while that at the bottom is the denominator.
Reciprocal
Another important
terminology to understand is the reciprocal. This operation is very important
when performing computations that involve division of fractions. Note that if
the sign before a fraction is division, the reciprocal of the fraction is
determined and consequently, the sign changes to become multiplication. You
will have to recall this Mathematical operation when dividing fractions.
Dividing a number by a fraction
It is mandatory to note that
the knowledge of multiplying fractions is important when dividing fractions.
The first thing to do before the division of a number by a fraction is to
ensure that the fraction is not a mixed fraction, meaning it does not contain a
whole number but is either a proper or
improper fraction. Once this is ensured,
find the reciprocal of the fraction and proceed to
simply multiply the number by the reciprocated fraction.
The steps above can be summarized in the following steps:
1.
Ensure the fraction is either a proper or an
improper fraction
2.
Find the reciprocal of the fraction
3.
Multiply the number by the reciprocated
fraction
4.
Simplify the resultant fraction to its
simplest form.
Once you have found the
product, simplify it, if the product is a fraction, by
finding a common divisor of both the numerator and the denominator. You can
always check if you are correct by multiplying the numerator and the
denominator by the divisor and getting the original fraction.
Dividing a fraction by fraction
The procedure used in the
division of a fraction by another fraction is more or less that same as that of
the division of a number by a fraction. The first fraction, in this case, is treated
as the whole number. The knowledge of reciprocals is equally important when
dividing a fraction by another fraction. The first step is to ensure that both
fractions are either in their proper or improper forms. Mixed fractions can
cause complications later in the computations.
Once both the fractions are
in the desired forms, find the reciprocal of the second fraction and then
proceed to multiply the two fractions. As a reminder, multiplication of
fractions is very simple. Simply multiply the numerator of the first fraction
by the numerator of the second reciprocated fraction and do the same with the
denominators. Simplify the resultant fraction.
The steps for the division
of a fraction by another fraction can be
summarized as below:
1.
Express both fractions into either proper or
improper forms
2.
Find the reciprocal of the second fraction
3.
Multiply the two fractions
4.
Simplify the resultant fraction