Question

How do you multiply `\frac { 1} { 2} \cdot \frac { 7} { 3} \cdot \frac { 7} { 2}`?

Answer 1

`4 frac(1)(12)`

Explanation:

I would first check to see if anything would cancel out.
`frac { 1} { 2} \cdot \frac { 7} { 3} \cdot \frac { 7} { 2}`

All the numbers are prime, so there is nothing to cancel out (aka nothing is the same on top and bottom, and 7 can not be divided by anything on the bottom)

So without reducing ...all that's left to do is multiply.

Multiply all the number across the top to get the numerator.
`1 xx 7 xx 7 = 49`

Now multiply all the bottom numbers to get the new denominator
`2 xx 3 xx 2 = 12`

Put it together you get an improper fraction of `frac(49)(12)`

You know it's improper because the top is bigger than the bottom. (Remember if a young lady is bigger up top it's easy to be improper)

Now to get it into standard form use division. 12 goes into 49 4 times with 1 leftover So you get a final answer of `4 frac(1)(12)`