Book 6:  Simplifying Fractions

  
You Will

• Simplify working with fractions by using cancellation

• Learn several ways to multiply and divide fractions

• Identify the reciprocal of a number

• Simplify compound fractions by using reciprocals

Subjects

Video Highlights

Martha and David show how cancellation works. Frank uses different methods to multiply and divide fractions. He shows how to use reciprocals to simplify compound fractions.
 
Summary/Terminology

Using the Trade the Numerators Technique 
Three Ways to solve a multiplication of fractions problem:
1. Multiply across and reduce the answer.
2. Cancel before multiplying.
3. Trade numerators and simplify before multiplying.
 
Two Ways to solve a division of fractions problem:
1. Divide straight across.
2. Make the fractions into a compound fraction, find an equivalent fraction in the compound fraction’s family that can be reduced, and reduce it to find the answer. 
Cancellation
Compound Fraction
Intuition
Reciprocal