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
You have one (1/1 or 1.0) pie. I cut it in half (0.5 or 1/2) and take that piece away.
You now have 1/2 of a pie. I cut that piece in half (0.5) and take that piece away.
You now have 1/4 of the pie. 0.5 * 0.5 = 0.25. 1/2 * 1/2 = 1/4.
Another way to think of it is multiplying fractions is the same as dividing. 1/2 is another way of expressing 1 divided by 2
(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
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.
To me it’s the verbiage… To multiply to me insinuates that what I’m multiplying would grow not shrink. Am I wrong?
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I thought about the same question a few weeks ago.
There are two ways to think about division. One works for some cases but the second way works for all (including fractions).
1. a / b = c, means that divide a into b parts and each part is c. It works for most cases but not for others, like doesn’t make sense for fractions divided by fractions because you can’t break something up in fractional parts
2. a / b = c, means that you need c number of b’s to make up a
Like 1 div 2 = 1/2 means you need half of 2 to make 1.
And 1/2 div 1/4 = 2 means you need 2 quarters to make a half which also makes sense.
If I start with a whole pie and cut it in half I’d get 1/2 of a pie.
Now read this and every time I say cut think multiply.
If I start with a whole pie (1) and cut (multiply) it in half (1/2) I’d get 1/2 of a pie. 1 x 1/2 = 1/2
Now let’s try this with 1/2 x 1/2.
If start with a half of a pie and cut it in half I’d get 1/4 of a pie.
If I start with a half of a pie (1/2) and cut (multiply) it in half (1/2) I’d get 1/4 of a pie.
Multiplying Fractions are hard to visualize because you’d think multiplying makes it bigger.
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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Take half a pizza. Then take half of that. How much of a whole pizza do you have?
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