Dividing Positive and Negative Fractions

Multiplicative Inverse or Reciprocals: Two numbers whose product is 1. A number and its multiplicative inverse must have the same sign because their product is positive 1. Examples: ¾ X 4/3 = 1 -5 2/3 X -3/17= 1 -2 1/3 X = -5/8 X = 7 X =

Dividing Fractions There are two ways to divide fractions. Method 1 7/8 ÷ ¾ = Flip the second fraction 7/8 ÷ 4/3 = Change the division sign into a multiplication sign and multiply the fractions 7/8 X 4/3 =

Second Method: Do not flip anything. Cross multiply. Multiply the 1st numerator times the 2nd denominator this will be your 3rd numerator Multiply the 1st denominator times the 2nd numerator this will be your 3rd denominator Example: 4 ÷ 6 = 28 5 7 30

Dividing by a Whole Number Change the whole number into a fraction. Examples: 2/5 ÷ 5 = 4/9 ÷ 3 = 3/5 ÷ 3 = 9/16 ÷ 12 =

Rules of Positive and Negative Fractions The rules for dividing positive and negative fractions are the same as for multiplication of fractions. Remember to use this: + - -