Question

understand fraction multiplication
multiply a ____________ number and a proper fraction

Answer 1

To multiply a **whole** number and a proper fraction, you can follow these steps:

1. **Convert the Whole Number to a Fraction**: Write the whole number as a fraction by placing it over 1. For example, if the whole number is 3, you can write it as \( \frac{3}{1} \).

2. **Multiply the Fractions**: When you multiply two fractions, you multiply the numerators together and the denominators together. So if you have \( \frac{3}{1} \) and a proper fraction like \( \frac{2}{5} \), you would multiply them as follows:
\[
\frac{3}{1} \times \frac{2}{5} = \frac{3 \times 2}{1 \times 5} = \frac{6}{5}
\]

3. **Simplify if Necessary**: In this case, \( \frac{6}{5} \) is an improper fraction but can be left as is unless you need a mixed number format (which would be \( 1 \frac{1}{5} \)).

Thus, when multiplying a whole number by a proper fraction, just treat the whole number as a fraction and follow the steps to find the result!