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Posts tagged ‘Fractions’

Fraction Hack #2: The Size of the Smaller Number


I received an interesting question from alert reader Ivasallay a couple of days ago … about fractions.

Responding to my post about the fraction “hack” of using the gap between fraction numbers, Ivasallay wrote: “What if the numerator is smaller than the gap?”

High-Octane Boost for Math

High-Octane Boost for Math Ed

Good question, and thanks for sharing it. My answer: Yes, the numerator could be smaller than the gap, and if it is, that can help us simplify fractions, too.

Now we could have a fraction like 15/6, in which the lesser of the two numbers is the denominator, so to keep our discussion general I’m going to talk, not about the numerator, but rather about the “smaller fraction number,” whether numerator or denominator.

The way this matters is as follows: like the gap, the smaller fraction number provides an upper limit, a greatest possible value, for the GCF of the fraction’s two numbers. So if the fraction is 12/90 (smaller number being 12), that means that the GCF can be no larger than 12. If the fraction is 3/1011, with lesser number 3, the GCF can be no larger than 3.

The reason should be obvious, and when I say this I really mean it. Take the fraction 6/792, for example. Could a number larger than 6 go into both 6 and 792? Well there may be a number larger than 6 that goes into 792 evenly, but nothing larger than 6 can go into 6 itself, right? A large peg can’t go through a tiny hole, right? So there you go. Nothing larger than 6 can go into both 6 AND 792. QED.

So what does this mean for you, the math student, or parent of a math student, or the teacher of math students? … I means you want to keep in mind that in actuality two different numbers will help you nail down the size of the GCF. One is the gap between the fraction numbers, and the other is our “new friend,” the smaller of the two fraction numbers.

And here’s another … hack fact. (Whenever I say that, you know we’re heading into ‘nerd-land,’ right?) For both limiting numbers, the gap and the smaller fraction number, the only numbers that can possibly go into both fraction numbers are the FACTORS of those limiting numbers. So for example, if your fraction is 6/50, with the smaller number of 6, the only numbers that can possibly go into 6 and 50 are the factors of 6: i.e., 6, 3, or 2.

A nice rule of thumb:  see which is smaller, the gap or the smaller fraction number. Then use that smaller number as your largest possible GCF. To nail this down, let’s do two example problems.

Example 1:  8/44. What’s smaller? 8 or the gap, 36. Obviously 8! So use 8. Test the factors of 8, which are 8, 4, 2. Notice that 8 doesn’t go into both 8 and 44. But 4 does, so 4 is the GCF, and using 4, the fraction simplifies down to 2/11.

Example 2:  22/36. What’s smaller? 22 or the gap, 14. Here the gap is smaller. So test the gap’s factors: 14, 7, 2. 14 doesn’t go into 22 and 36; nor does 7. But 2 does. So 2 is the GCF, and using 2, the fraction simplifies to 11/18.

Time for you all to try your hands at this fun practice, which catapults your “number sense” to new heights.

For each problem, 1) identify the fraction’s smaller number and the gap. 2) Say which of those two numbers is smaller. 3) Using that number’s factors, find the GCF. 4) Finally, using the GCF, simplify the fraction. Answers follow.

SIMPLIFY THE FRACTIONS:

a)   8/42

b)  12/20

c)  36/60

d)  18/96

e)  21/91

ANSWERS:

a)   8/42:  1)  smaller # = 8; gap = 34.  2)  8 < 34. 3)  GCF = 2. 4)  4/21

b)  12/20:  1)  smaller # = 12; gap = 8.  2)  8 < 12. 3)  GCF = 4. 4)  3/5

c)  36/60:  1)  smaller # = 36; gap = 24.  2)  24 < 36. 3)  GCF = 12. 4)  3/5

d)  18/96:  1)  smaller # = 18; gap = 78.  2)  18 < 78. 3)  GCF = 6. 4)  3/16

e)  21/91:  1)  smaller # = 21; gap = 70.  2)  21 < 70. 3)  GCF = 7. 4)  3/13

Josh Rappaport is the author of five math books, including the wildly popular Algebra Survival Guide and its trusty sidekick, the Algebra Survival Workbook. And FYI:  the 2nd Edition of the Survival Guide was just released in March, so get it while it’s hot off the press! If you’d like to get tutored by Josh, you can. Josh and his remarkably helpful wife, Kathy, use Skype to tutor students in the U.S. and Canada in a wide range of subjects. They also prep students for the “semi-evil” ACT and SAT college entrance tests. If you’d be interested in seeing your ACT or SAT scores soar, shoot an email to Josh, sending it to: josh@SingingTurtle.com  We’ll keep an eye out for your email, and in our office, our tutoring is always ON … except on Saturdays.

Category:

Fractions, Mental Math, Simplify Fractions

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How to Simplify Fractions — FAST


So c’mon … everything that can be said about simplifying fractions has been said … right?

Not quite! Here’s something that might just be original … a hack to smack those fractions down to size.

Suppose you’re staring at an annoying-looking fraction:  96/104, and it’s annoying the heck out of you, particularly because it’s smirking at you!

But it won’t smirk for long. For you open up your bag of hacks (obtained @ mathchat.me) and …

1st)  Subtract to get the difference between numerator and denominator. I also like to call this the gap between the numbers. Difference (aka, gap) = 104 – 96 = 8.

NOTE: Turns out that this gap, 8, is the upper limit for any numbers that can possibly go into BOTH 96 and 104. No number larger than 8 can go into both. And this is a … HACK FACT:  The gap represents the largest number that could possibly go into BOTH numerator and denominator. In other words, the gap is the largest possible greatest common factor (GCF).

2nd)  Try 8. Does 8 go into both 96 and 104? Turns out it does, so smack the numerator and denominator down to size:  96 ÷ 8 = 12, and 104 ÷ 8 = 13.

3rd)  State the answer:  96/104 = 12/13.

Is it still smirking? I think … NOT!

Try another. Say you’re now puzzling over:  74/80.

1st)  Subtract to get the gap. 80 – 74 = 6. So 6 is the largest number that can possibly go into BOTH 74 and 80.

2nd)  So try 6. Does it go into both 74 and 80? No, in fact it goes into neither number.

NOTE:  Turns out that even though 6 does NOT go into 74 OR 80, the fact that the gap is 6 still says something. It tells us that the only numbers that can possibly go into both 74 and 80 are the factors of 6:  6, 3 and 2. This, it turns out, is another … HACK FACT:  Once you know the gap, the only numbers that can possibly go into the two numbers that make the gap are either the factors of the gap, or the gap number itself.

3rd)  So now, try the next largest factor of 6, which just happens to be 3. Does 3 go into both 74 and 80? No. Like 6, 3 goes into neither 74 nor 80. But that’s actually a good thing because now there’s only one last factor to test, 2. Does 2 go into both 74 and 80? Yes! At last you’ve found a number that goes into both numerator and denominator.

4th)  Hack the numbers down to size:  74 ÷ 2 = 37, and 80 ÷ 2 = 40.

5th)  State the answer. 74/80 gets hacked down to 37/40, and that fraction, my dear friends, is the answer. 37/40 the final, simplified form of 74/80. 

O.K., are you ready to smack some of those fractions down to size? I believe you are. So here are some problems that will let you test out your new hack.

As you slash these numbers down, remember this rule. In some of these problems the gap number itself is the number that divides into numerator and denominator. But in other problems, it’s not the gap number itself, but rather a factor of the gap number that slashes both numbers down to size. So if the gap number itself doesn’t work, don’t forget to check out its factors.

Ready then? Here you go … For each problem, state the gap and find the largest number that goes into both numerator and denominator. Then write the simplified version of the fraction.

a)   46/54
b)   42/51
c)   48/60
d)   45/51
e)   63/77

Answers:

a)   46/54:  gap = 8. Largest common factor (GCF) = 2. Simplified form = 23/27
b)   42/51:  gap = 9. Largest common factor (GCF) = 3. Simplified form = 14/17
c)   48/60:  gap = 12. Largest common factor (GCF) = 12. Simplified form = 4/5
d)   45/51:  gap = 6. Largest common factor (GCF) = 3. Simplified form = 15/17
e)   63/77:  gap = 14. Largest common factor (GCF) = 7. Simplified form = 9/11

Josh Rappaport is the author of five math books, including the wildly popular Algebra Survival Guide and its trusty sidekick, the Algebra Survival Workbook. Josh has been tutoring math for more years than he can count — even though he’s pretty good at counting after all that tutoring — and he now tutors students in math, nationwide, by Skype. Josh and his remarkably helpful wife, Kathy, use Skype to tutor students in the U.S. and Canada, preparing them for the “semi-evil” ACT and SAT college entrance tests. If you’d be interested in seeing your ACT or SAT scores rise dramatically, shoot an email to Josh, addressing it to: josh@SingingTurtle.com  We’ll keep an eye out for your email, and our tutoring light will always be ON.

Category:

College Entrance Exams, Help with the ACT, Help with the SAT, SAT, Tutoring

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How to Find out if 6 Divides in Evenly – Divisibility by 6


Award numeral 6

Image via Wikipedia

So far we’ve learned fun & easy divisibility tricks for the numbers 3 and by 4. Learning these tricks helps us reduce fractions with serious speed, and it helps us perform other math operations with a lot more ease. So let’s keep the learning
process going.

[Note:  If this is the first of these divisibility blogs that you have seen, search this blog for posts about divisibility by 3 and by 4; that way you’ll get caught up with the flow of these posts.]

The trick for 5 is incredibly simple:  5 goes into any number with a ones digit of 5 or 0. That is all you need to know. Not much else to say about 5.

And here is the trick for 6:  6 divides into any number that is divisible by BOTH 2 and 3. In other words, for the number in question, check to see if both 2 and 3 go in evenly. If they do, then 6 must also go in evenly. But if EITHER 2 or 3 does NOT go into the number, then 6 definitely will NOT go in. So you need divisibility by BOTH 2 AND 3 … in order for the trick to work.

Here’s an alternative way to say this trick, a way some kids find easier to grasp:  “6 goes into all even numbers that are divisible by 3.”

EXAMPLE 1:  74 — 2 goes in, but 3 does not, so 6 does NOT go in evenly.

EXAMPLE 2:  75 — 3 goes in, but 2 does not, so 6 does NOT go in evenly.

EXAMPLE 3:  78 — 2 and 3 BOTH go in evenly, so 6 DOES go in evenly.

Notice that since the tricks for 2 and 3 are quite simple, this trick for 6 is really quite simple too. It is NOT hard to use this trick even on numbers with a bunch of digits.

EXAMPLE 4:  783,612 — 2 goes in, and so does 3, so 6 DOES go in evenly. [checking for 3, note that you need to add only the digits 7 & 8. 7 + 8 = 15, a multiple of 3, so this large number IS divisible by 3.]

Now give this a try yourself with these numbers. For each number tell whether
or not 2, 3 and 6 will divide in evenly.

PROBLEMS:
a)  84
b)  112
c)  141
d)  266
e)  552
f)  714
g)  936
h)  994
i)  1,245
j)  54,936

ANSWERS:
a)  84:  2 yes; 3 yes; 6 yes
b)  112:  2 yes; 3 no; 6 no
c)  141:  2 no; 3 yes; 6 no
d)  266:  2 yes; 3 no; 6 no
e)  552:  2 yes; 3 yes; 6 yes
f)  714:  2 yes; 3 yes; 6 yes
g)  936: 2 yes; 3 yes; 6 yes
h)  994: 2 yes; 3 no; 6 no
i)  1,245:  2 no; 3 yes; 6 no
j)  54,936: 2 yes; 3 yes; 6 yes

 

Josh Rappaport is the author of five books on math, including the Parents Choice-award winning Algebra Survival Guide. If you like how Josh explains these problems, you’ll certainly  like the Algebra Survival Guide and companion Workbook, both of which are available on Amazon.com  Just click the links in the sidebar for more information! 

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Divisibility, Divisibility by 6, Math Instruction Techniques, Mental Math, Number Theory, Tutoring, Uncategorized

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How to Divide Fractions: from annoying to FUN!


O.K., I’m ready to share my amazing approach to dividing a fraction by another fraction. Well, maybe not breathtaking … like Andrew Wiles’ proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem … but at least interesting. And best of all, fun and student-friendly!

Last week I asked if anyone had any tricks up their sleeves that make it easier for students to divide fractions. And I said that I would share a trick after I heard from you.

I got a nice response from Michelle, who said that she has used the mnemonic “KFC” (like the fried chicken), which in her class stands for Keep-Change-Flip. The idea being that you KEEP the first fraction, and next you CHANGE the sign from multiplication to division. Finally you FLIP the second fraction, the fraction on the right. We have similar mnemonic where I live, which goes by the phrase: Copy-Dot-Flip, with the “dot” meaning the dot of multiplication.

But what I want to share with you is a completely different approach to dividing one fraction by another, an approach that saves time, and makes it both easier and more fun — in my humble opinion — than the standard approach.

The approach I’m going to show you works for any complex fraction situation you might encounter, such as these:

fraction-images2
For this blog post, I’m going to limit my chat to complex fractions of the arithmetic type, meaning those with numbers only, and no variables. And if it seems important, I’ll do another post later on using this very same process for algebraic fractions.

So what is this amazing approach, anyway? Well, it’s based on something I discovered on day when I was just messing around with fractions divided by fractions. I realized that after you do the KFC or the Copy-Dot-Flip, what you get — in general — is actually something really easy to grasp, as this next image will show you, along with a Quick Proof:

fraction-c3b7-1

If you take a moment to think about it, the terms in the numerator of the result — terms a and d — have something in common; they were on the outside of the original complex fraction, so I call these terms the “outers.” In the same way, the terms in the denominator of the result — terms b and c — were both on the inside of the complex fraction, so I call them the “inners.”

So when you divide fractions in this vertical format, the answer is simply the outers, multiplying each other divided by the inners, multiplying each other.

I find that students find this easy to remember and a cinch to do. This next sheet summarizes the idea, and also provides a fun way of remembering the concept, thinking about the stack of terms as a fraction “sandwich.”

fraction-c3b7-2

So, to put this in words, the four-level complex fraction that you start out with can be thought of as a sandwich, with two pieces of bread at top and bottom, and slices of bologna and cheese in the middle.

The main point is that to simplify the fraction sandwich, all you need to do is put the two slices of bread together in the numerator and multiply them, And then put the bologna and cheese together in the denominator, and multiply them.

Using this idea it becomes a lot easier to simplify these complex fractions. Here’s an image that shows how it is done, and how this approach saves time over the way we were taught to do it, using reciprocals.

fraction-c3b7-a2

And there’s more good news. This new way of looking at complex fractions also gives students a cool, new way to simplify the fractions before they get the answer. And when you do simplify fully, the answer you get will be a fraction that’s already completely reduced, so you won’t have to stress about that part.

The next two pages show you this fun and easy new way to simplify:

fraction-c3b7-31

or, or what? …  Here’s what …

fraction-c3b7-4

So now you might like to see the whole process from start to finish, so you can decide for yourself if this technique is for you. Well that’s exactly what we’re showing next. As you can see I consistently highlight the outers with pink, the inners with yellow.

fraction-c3b7-51

And finally, a “harder” problem, you might say. But check it out. Is it really any harder than the one we’ve just done? You decide.

fraction-c3b7-6

In my next blog I’ll give you a few problems like these, so you can get used to this trick, and start shaving precious seconds and nano-seconds off the time it take you to do your homework, so you spend more time doing all of those things that you want to do more:  texting, watching You-Tube, taking hikes, skating (roller and ice), etc. etc. , etc. You know better than me.

Happy Teaching and Learning!

—  Josh

 

Josh Rappaport is the author of five books on math, including the Parents Choice-award winning Algebra Survival Guide. If you like how Josh explains these problems, you’ll certainly  like the Algebra Survival Guide and companion Workbook, both of which are available on Amazon.com  Just click the links in the sidebar for more information! 

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Elementary Math, Fractions, Division, Using COLOR when Teaching Math, Using STORIES, Making Math Fun, Math Tricks, Using ANALOGIES when Teaching Math

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Fraction divided by a fraction


Hi,

This one is going out to all of you … on station MCHT.

Does anyone know any good tricks for the situation where a fraction divides another fraction. In other words, for a problem like [(2/3)÷(4/5}, does anyone know of a col way to make this much easer than the way most people learn this in a school?

If so, send me your thoughts In any case, after I get a bunch of your ideas, I’ll share mine. Then we can vote on which approach we like the most.

If you’ve got an idea, send it to:

into@SingingTurtle.com

Make the subject line: Dividing a Fraction by a Fraction.

Have fun!

— Josh


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Division, Division Tricks, Elementary Math, Fractions, Making Math Fun, Math Instruction Techniques, Math Tricks, Mental Math

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