7 Fractions

7.3 Multiplying fractions

Exercise 7.3 Key words
cancel
Focus predict
1 Use the diagrams to complete these calculations. proper fractions
1 1
a 2 b 3

1 1

1 1 1×1 1 1 1 1× 1 1
× = = × = =
2 2 2×2 2 3 2×3

c 1
4

1 1 1× 1 1
× = =
2 4 2×4

2 Copy and complete:

1 1 1×1 1 1 1 1×1 1 1 1 1×1 1
a × = = b × = = c × = =
2 5 2×5 2 6 2×6 2 7 2×7

1 1 1× 1 1 1 1 1× 1 1 1 1 1× 1 1
d × = = e × = = f × = =
3 5 3×5 3 6 3× 6 3 7 3× 7

3 Write true or false for each of these. If the answer is false, write down
the correct answer.
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1
a × = b × = c × = d × =
4 4 16 4 5 9 5 5 25 5 6 30

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 7.3 Multiplying fractions

4 Copy and complete:

1 3 1× 3 3 1 5 1× 5
a × = = b × = =
2 4 2×4 2 6 2×6 12

1 3 1× 3 1 2 1× 2
c × = = d × = =
2 5 2×5 3 5 3×5

1 5 1× 5 1 5 1× 5
e × = = f × = =
3 6 3× 6 3 7 3×7

5 Copy and complete the following. Cancel each answer to its

simplest form. 1 5 2 6
All the answers are given in the cloud. 2 21 5 25
2 3 2×3 6 3 2 3×2
a × = = = b × = = =
3 5 3×5 15 4 3 4×3

4 3 4×3 2 5 2×5
c × = = = d × = = =
5 10 5 × 10 7 6 7×6

Practice
6 Work out:
1 1 3 3 5 1
a × b × c ×
4 3 4 4 7 6
3 3 3 2 5 2
d × e × f ×
4 5 5 7 8 3

7 Work these out. Write each answer in its simplest form.

4 1 2 3 3 2
a × b × c ×
5 2 3 5 4 5
3 2 7 8 5 18
d × e × f ×
4 3 8 11 9 25 Tip
8 Work out the area of this rectangle. Write your answer in its The formula
simplest form. for the area
2 m of a rectangle
11
is: Area =
5m
8
length × width.

9 Work out the area of this square.

2m
5

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7 Fractions

10 In a shop, 5 of the staff are male.

8 Tip
a What fraction of the staff are not male?
2 In part c, you
Of the males, are from China. need to work out
5
2 5
b What fraction of the males are not from China? of .
5 8
c What fraction of the staff are males from China?
d What fraction of the staff are males who are not from China?
2
11 of the people watching a football game are children. 3 of the
7 8
children are girls.
a What fraction of the people watching the football game are girls?
b What fraction of the people watching the football game are boys?
c What fraction of the people watching the football game are
not children?

12 2 of the people at a concert are from Zimbabwe. The other people

7
3
are from Zambia. of the people from Zambia are female.
5
a What fraction of all the people at the concert are female and
from Zambia?
b What fraction of all the people at the concert are male and
from Zambia?

Challenge
13 Work out both the estimate and the accurate answer to each of the following.
5 1 2 1
a × Tip b × Tip
7 10 5 6
5 2
Use the fact that Use the fact that
7 5
is greater than 0,
is greater than 1 ,
2 1
but is less than .
but is less than 1. 2

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 7.3 Multiplying fractions

14 The diagram shows four fractions linked by lines.

3 9
5 10

7 4
8 7

a Choose any two of the linked fractions. Work out the product Tip
of the two fractions. Write your answer in its simplest form.
To work out the
b Which two fractions give the:
product of two
i largest product? ii smallest product? fractions, you
c Without working out all the products, how can you decide, multiply the two
just by looking at the fractions, which two fractions give the: fractions together.
i largest product? ii smallest product?
15 Work these out. Write each answer in its simplest form.
1 2
a × b your answer to part a × 3
2 3 4
c your answer to part b × 4 d your answer to part c × 5
5 6
6
e your answer to part d ×
7
f Copy and complete this table.
Tip
Part Question Answer Your answers to
1 2 parts a to e are
i × the answers to
2 3
parts i to v in
1 2 3 the table.
ii × ×
2 3 4

1 2 3 4
iii × × ×
2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5
iv × × × ×
2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6
v × × × × ×
2 3 4 5 6 7

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7 Fractions

g Can you see a pattern in the answers to the questions in the

table above?
How can you predict what the answer will be without working
it out?
h Using the pattern in the table above, write down the answers
to the following.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
i × × × × × ×
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ii × × × × × × × × ×
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
16 Jon multiplies two proper fractions and writes the answer
1
in its simplest form. The answer is .
5
1
× =
5

Give three examples of two proper fractions that multiply

to give 1 .
5
2
17 Kai eats of a pizza. Sam eats 3 of the rest of the pizza.
5 4
3
Hari eats of the rest of the pizza after Kai and Sam
4
have eaten.
What fraction of the pizza is left?
18 Work out the area of this rectangle. Write your answer as a
mixed number in its simplest form. Tip
3 m The formula for
5
the area of a
3 34 m rectangle is Area =
length × width.

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 7.4 Dividing fractions

7.4 Dividing fractions Key words

reciprocal
upside down
Exercise 7.4
Focus Tip

1 Copy and complete: Remember that

when you turn a
1 1 1 3 1 1 1 4 fraction upside
a ÷ = × b ÷ = ×
4 3 4 1 5 4 5 1 down you get
1× 3 1× 4 a reciprocal
= =
4 ×1 5 ×1 fraction. For
example the
= = 1
reciprocal of is
3
3
1 1 1 5 1 1 1 6 or just 3.
c ÷ = × d ÷ = × 1
6 5 6 1 7 6 7 1
1× 5 1× 6
= =
6 ×1 7 ×1

= =
Tip
As shown in
2 Write true or false for each of the following. If the answer is false, the working
write down the correct answer. for Question 1,
turn the
1 1 7 1 1 9 1 1 9
a ÷ = b ÷ = c ÷ = second fraction
8 7 8 9 8 8 10 9 10 upside down.

3 Copy and complete:

1 3 1 5 1 4 1 5 5 2 5 3 3 2 6 3
a ÷ = × b ÷ = × c ÷ = × d ÷ = ×
4 5 4 3 2 5 2 4 8 3 8 2 11 3 11 2
1× 5 1× 5 5×3 6×3
= = = =
4×3 2×4 8×2 11 × 2

= = = =

4 Write each of these fractions in its simplest form. The rst one has been done
for you.
2 1 6 35 15
a = b = c = d =
4 2 15 40 20

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7 Fractions

5 Copy and complete.

1 1 1 2 1 5 1 6
Tip
a ÷ = × b ÷ = ×
4 2 4 1 3 6 3 5 Use your answers
1× 2 1× 6 to Question 4 to
= = help you.
4 ×1 3×5
2
= =
4

=
=

5 5 5 7 3 2 3 5
c ÷ = × d ÷ = ×
8 7 8 5 10 5 10 2
5×7 3×5
= =
8×5 10 × 2

= =

= =

Practice
6 Work out:
1 2 1 3 3 1
a ÷ b ÷ c ÷
2 3 4 5 7 2

5 6 2 5 1 3
d ÷ e ÷ f ÷
9 7 5 9 10 7

7 Work these out. Write each answer as a mixed number.

1 1 3 4 1 2
a ÷ b ÷ c ÷
2 3 5 7 3 7

7 1 5 2 4 3
d ÷ e ÷ f ÷
9 2 6 11 7 13

8 Work these out. Write each answer in its simplest form and, when
possible, as a mixed number.
5 1 4 3 5 5
a ÷ b ÷ c ÷
8 2 13 13 8 12

1 5 1 1 7 1
d ÷ e ÷ f ÷
3 9 4 12 9 6

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 7.4 Dividing fractions

9 This is part of Nova’s homework. She has made a mistake in her

solution.

Qn: Wk t 7 ÷ 5 .

8 6
7 5 7 5 35
Sn ÷ = × =
8 6 8 6 48

a Explain the mistake Nova has made.

b Work out the correct answer.
10 The area of this rectangle is 5 m2. The length is 15 m. Work out the Tip
6 16
width of the rectangle.
The formula for
width the area of a
rectangle is
15 m
16 Area = length ×
width, so Width =
11 In this pyramid, you nd the fraction in each block by dividing area ÷ length.
(from left to right) the fractions in the two blocks below it. Copy
and complete the pyramid.

1 7
5 ÷ 20 = ...

1 7 14
5 20 15

Challenge
12 Ramondo is using fraction cards to make correct calculations.
Tip
3 4
÷ = Use the fact that
20 15
if a ÷ b = c, then
Work out the correct card for the division above. Write your a ÷ c = b.
answer in its simplest form.
1
13 The grey triangle has an area of m2. The base length of the Height
5
14
triangle is m. Work out the height of the triangle. 14
15 m
15

95