Dividing Fractions – Definition with Examples

What it Means by Dividing Fractions?

By dividing fractions we mean the division involves at least one fraction. For example, 

1. 3412
2. 712
3. 346

The quotient of such multiplication could be a fraction or a whole number.

Let’s consider some examples to see what it means to divide fractions through visual models.

• Whole Number ÷ Fraction

• Fraction ÷ Whole

• Fraction ÷ Fraction

Visualising Fraction Division that Involves Remainder

Example 1: 

Example 2: 

Steps to Divide Fractions

• Fraction by Fraction

To divide a fraction by another fraction , multiply the dividend fraction by the reciprocal of the divisor fraction. The reciprocal of a fraction can be found by interchanging its numerator and denominator. For example, 34 is reciprocal of 43 and vice-versa.

There is a quick way to remember the steps to divide fractions: Keep >> Change >> Flip. 

Follow these steps to divide a fraction by fraction (either proper or improper):

STEP 1: 

Keep the dividend the same.

Change the division sign to multiply

Flip the divisor by writing its reciprocal.

STEP 2: Multiply the fractions

STEP 3: Simplify the result, if needed. 

Quick Tip: In case, the dividend and/or divisor are mixed numbers, we first convert them into improper fractions and then follow the steps mentioned above.

• Fraction by Whole Number

Recall that the reciprocal of a whole number ‘a’ is the unit fraction 1a because we can write a whole in fraction form with denominator equal to 1, that is, a1.

Let’s understand how to divide when divisor is a whole number through an example:

Why do we flip the divisor after changing the division sign?

When we divide one number by another, let’s say, a is the dividend and b is the divisor, then we can write it as ab. Also, we can write ab as the product of a and 1b. That is, 

a ÷ b = ab = a × 1b

We can also understand it like this: 

Division is the inverse operation of multiplication. So, dividing by a number is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal. 

Properties of Dividing Fractions

The properties of division with whole numbers hold true for fractions as well. Let’s check!

1. Property 1: When a fraction is divided by 1, the quotient is the fraction itself. 341=34
2. Property 2: When zero is divided by a non-zero fraction, then the quotient is always 0. 

034=0 

3. Property 3: When a non-zero fraction is divided by itself, then the quotient is 1. 

3434=1

4. Property 4: Division by 0 is not possible and the result is not defined.

 340= Not Defined

Solved Examples

Example 1: Divide: ​​15110.

Solution: 

Keep 15 as it is; change ÷ to × and flip 110 and write it as 101. 

15110=15×101=105=21=2 

Example 2: Divide: ​​12357

Solution: Change 123 to improper fraction and then follow the steps to divide fractions.

12357=5357=53×75=73=213

Example 3: Max is painting toy cars. He has 214 L of paint. If each car requires 73 L of paint, how many cars can Max paint?

Solution:

Quantity of paint with Max = 214 L = 94 L

Quantity of paint required to paint 1 car = 38 L

Numbers of toy cars that Max can paint = 9438

= 94×83

= 7212 = 6

So, Max can paint 6 toys with  214 L of paint.

Example 4: Melvin sang a medley of songs for 10 minutes. If one song was 212 minutes long, how many songs did Melvin sing?

Solution:

Duration for which Melvin sang = 10 minutes

Length of one song = 212 minutes

Numbers of songs that Melvin sing = 10212

= 1052

= 10 ×25

= 205 = 4

So, Melvin sang 4 songs in 10 minutes. 

Practice Problems

Dividing Fractions Attend this Quiz & Test your knowledge. 1Divide: ​​$\frac{7}{8} \div \frac{3}{9}$ $\frac{21}{72}$ $\frac{24}{63}$ $\frac{21}{8}$ $\frac{8}{21}$ CorrectIncorrect Correct answer is: $\frac{21}{8}$ $\frac{7}{8}\div\frac{3}{9} = \frac{7}{8}\times\frac{9}{3} = \frac{63}{24} = \frac{21}{8}$ 2Divide: ​​$\frac{4}{8}\div 9$ 9 $\frac{4}{89}$ $\frac{72}{4}$ $\frac{1}{18}$ CorrectIncorrect Correct answer is: $\frac{1}{18}$ $\frac{4}{8}\div 9 = \frac{4}{8}\times\frac{1}{9} = \frac{4}{72} = \frac{1}{18}$ 3Divide: $1\frac{1}{7}\div \frac{3}{5}$ $\frac{24}{35}$ $\frac{40}{21}$ $\frac{21}{40}$ $\frac{34}{35}$ CorrectIncorrect Correct answer is: $\frac{40}{21}$ $1\frac{1}{7}\div\frac{3}{5} = \frac{8}{7}\div\frac{3}{5} = \frac{8}{7}\times\frac{5}{3} = \frac{40}{21}$ 4Divide: $\frac{3}{7}\div\frac{3}{7}$ 1 0 $\frac{9}{49}$ $\frac{49}{9}$ CorrectIncorrect Correct answer is: 1 When a fraction is divided by itself, the answer is 1.

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