Posted by Math can sometimes feel like navigating a maze, especially when fractions are involved! But don’t worry, dividing by a fraction is actually a lot simpler than it looks. We’re going to break down a specific example to show you just how easy it can be.
Today, we’re tackling a classic: 5 divided by 5/6. Sounds intimidating? Not at all! We’ll walk through the steps, explain the logic, and by the end of this, you’ll be a pro at dividing by fractions. So, grab a pen and paper, and let’s dive in together!
Understanding 5 Divided by 5/6
The key to dividing by a fraction is to remember one simple rule: dividing by a fraction is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal! The reciprocal of a fraction is just flipping it upside down. So, the reciprocal of 5/6 is 6/5. Now the problem is much easier.
Let’s rewrite our problem. Instead of 5 divided by 5/6, we now have 5 multiplied by 6/5. When we multiply 5 by 6/5, we can think of 5 as a fraction too: 5/1. Now we have (5/1) (6/5). Multiply the numerators and denominators: (5 6) / (1 * 5) which equals 30/5.
We’re almost there! We have 30/5. This fraction can be simplified. We need to find the biggest number that can divide both the numerator and denominator evenly. Luckily, 5 can divide both numbers. 30 divided by 5 is 6 and 5 divided by 5 is 1. Thus our answer is 6/1 or simply 6.
Therefore, 5 divided by 5/6 equals 6. See? It wasn’t so bad after all! The trick is remembering to flip the second fraction and change the division sign to a multiplication sign. Once you’ve mastered that, you can conquer any fraction division problem.
Now that you’ve learned how to solve 5 divided by 5/6, try some other fraction division problems on your own. Practice makes perfect! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes they’re part of the learning process. Keep practicing, and you will be a math whiz!
Hopefully, you can see that math can be fun! Now that you can divide fractions, you can move on to other challenges. So grab a few more problems and try the same process; you’ll see that it helps you better understand the math and youll feel confident when tackling similar problems!