I am reteaching myself math, but something is bugging me soooo bad and I can’t find the answer. What is a real life example of multiplying a fraction by a fraction? I was wondering why .05 to the 5th exponent would get smaller not bigger. This is driving me bonkers.
Sure 1/2 makes sense, but how about 1/2 times 3/5 in real life?!?
Edit: OMFG. Math is cool and makes sense. Finally, I’m 28. Thank you all!!!!
Edit: I was given an AP Scholar award, but it was not for math.
* * * The best explanation goes to the person who explained “times” and “of” were synonomous!!!! * * *
NOW EXPLAIN THIS: How am I in the 99.9th percentile for arithmetic, but suck at math?! Do I have potential? Am I still gifted in “math” or are math and arithmetic too separate things. A professor told me they are different parts of the brain.
In: Mathematics
I’m late to the party, but I’ll give another real-world example of multiplying fractions. This is more related to how ratios and fractions are the same thing.
Let’s say that 3/5 of everyone is resgistered to vote, and 1/2 of the registered voters will vote on election day. I want to know what fraction of everyone will vote on election day.
The answer is (3 registered voters / 5 total people) * (1 voter on election day / 2 registered voters) = 3 voters on election day / 10 total people (or 30% of everyone). The “registered voters” units cancel out from the top of the 3/5ths and the bottom of the 1/2.
Edit: I’ll agree that 3/5ths is a…not great number to use in the context of voting, but it was the example OP wanted. I could’ve gone with a different analogy, but voting is topical, haha.
Replace the word “times” with “of”
1/2 of 3/5. Half of 3/5. Obviously it’s going to be smaller than 3/5
0.05 of 0.05, that’s 5 percent of 0.05. You know 5 percent is a relatively small chunk of the original.
The problem may be you were taught only the abstract math rules, but it wasn’t well tied into concrete example that would build the numerical understanding.
Think of multiplication as adding up several sets of something.
For example, say you have 3 sets of 4 apples.
If you draw out this array and count up all the apples, you have a total of 12. This represents 3 x 4 = 12.
All multiplication can be expressed this way.
Now imagine you have 1/2 a set of 4 apples. If you draw out the set of 4 apples and take half of it, you have 2 apples. This represents 1/2 x 4 = 2.
Hope this helps!
Take half a pizza. Then take half of that. How much of a whole pizza do you have?
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1/2 * 3/5 = 3/10
You have a pizza cut it into five slices. You turn your back to get a beer and your brother eats two slices. Shit.
So now you have three fifths of a pizza. You’re all set to eat it when your girlfriend comes in and says she wants half.
You have three-fifths of a pizza and you need to cut it in half.
The pizza started as 5 slices. Only three are left. So now your girlfriend gets one and a half slices and you get one and a half slices.
1/2 * 3/5 = 3/10 = 1.5/5
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To me it’s the verbiage… To multiply to me insinuates that what I’m multiplying would grow not shrink. Am I wrong?
If you have a pie, and you multiply it by one half, then you have half a pie.
If you multiply your half pie by one half, then you have half of a half of a pie–i.e. a quarter.
(1/2)^5
divide a banana in half
take 1 half and split it in half again
take the quarter and split it again
take the eighth and split it again
take the sixteenth and split it again
you are left with 1/32nd of a banana
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