Multiplying/Dividing Fractions Using word Problems Absent Copy 1/7,8
Example 1 OPMS released 400 balloons at an awards celebration. Of these, 2/5 were blue. How many were blue? 400 = = 160 = solution – What operation do we use when you see the word “of” in the problem? The word “OF” means to use multiplication. How do we set up this problem We set it up using a multiplication symbol. What goes underneath the 400? A 1 goes underneath the 400. What do we make in order to reduce this fraction? We make a T-chart. What do we do with the remaining factors? We multiply the remaining factor to get an answer. 160 blue 240 not
Example 3 Josh read 4/5 of a 200 page book. How many pages did he read? = = 160 = Solution What operation do we use when we see the word “of”? The word “OF” means to multiply. What do we do to make this problem easier? Make an equation using a multiplication symbol. What goes underneath the 200? A 1 goes underneath the 200. What do we make in order to reduce this fraction? We make a T-chart. What do we do with the remaining factors? We multiply the remaining factor to get an answer. 160 pages