when to simplify vs divide – Khan Academy Help Center

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Al Gallucci

October 10, 2020 14:52

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i recently had a problem that cam down to

3x = -1

then

x= -1 over 3

I divided -1 by 3 and came up with -.33 repeating. The answer was wrong and it said I should have made it - 1/3.

my question is how do I know when to divide or when to just leave it as a fraction?

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🌵 Lexi C. 🌵

October 13, 2020 18:14
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Hi Al Gallucci, that's a great question!

When working with fractions, you should always reduce the fraction to the lowest possible term. If the top number of your fraction (the numerator) is larger than the bottom number (the denominator) then you should divide before reducing.

Does that make sense?

For your specific problem, the numerator is smaller than the denominator.

Since -1/3 can not be reduced or divided, the answer is simply -1/3.

Another Example:

If your fraction looked like this: 44/8, you would first divide the fraction because the numerator is larger than the denominator. The answer would be 5 4/8. You would then reduce the fraction to the lowest possible terms. The answer would be 5 1/2.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any additional questions.

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