Multiplying Fractions by Whole Numbers

Multiplication is a shorthand way of writing repeated addition. 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 4 x 3.

The denominator shows the total number of equal parts in the whole. The numerator shows how many of those equal parts we have or are talking about. In the fraction [ggfrac]2/3[/ggfrac] the 3 shows there are 3 equal parts, and this fraction represents 2 of the 3 equal parts.

[ggfrac]1/5[/ggfrac] + [ggfrac]1/5[/ggfrac] + [ggfrac]1/5[/ggfrac] = [ggfrac]3/5[/ggfrac]. I added the numerators and kept the same denominator, 5.

[ggfrac]1/3[/ggfrac] + [ggfrac]1/3[/ggfrac] + [ggfrac]1/3[/ggfrac] + [ggfrac]1/3[/ggfrac] + [ggfrac]1/3[/ggfrac] = [ggfrac]5/3[/ggfrac]. I added the numerators and kept the same denominator.

[ggfrac]2/5[/ggfrac] + [ggfrac]2/5[/ggfrac] + [ggfrac]2/5[/ggfrac] + [ggfrac]2/5[/ggfrac] = [ggfrac]8/5[/ggfrac]. [ggfrac]5/5[/ggfrac] is equal to 1. [ggfrac]8/5[/ggfrac] has three more fifths than [ggfrac]5/5[/ggfrac] so [ggfrac]8/5[/ggfrac] is greater than 1.

5 x [ggfrac]3/4[/ggfrac]

Yes it would be the same. Sample answer: I would multiply 20 x [ggfrac]2/9[/ggfrac] because I think it would take less time than adding.

Gita is wrong. She multiplied both the numerator and the denominator of the fraction by 4. She should have just multiplied the numerator by 4 and kept the denominator the same.

Husam is wrong. 6 x [ggfrac]1/3[/ggfrac] is [ggfrac]6/3[/ggfrac] or 2 and 2 is not less than 1.

Sample answer: 2; 9; 10