Question

Which expression represents another method of computing the product given below?

-3/8 x 1 1/2

Answer 1

To compute the product of \(-\frac{3}{8}\) and \(1 \frac{1}{2}\), we can first convert the mixed number \(1 \frac{1}{2}\) into an improper fraction.

1. Convert \(1 \frac{1}{2}\) to an improper fraction:
\[
1 \frac{1}{2} = 1 + \frac{1}{2} = \frac{2}{2} + \frac{1}{2} = \frac{3}{2}
\]

2. Now, rewrite the expression:
\[
-\frac{3}{8} \times \frac{3}{2}
\]

3. Next, we can multiply the fractions directly:
\[
= \frac{-3 \times 3}{8 \times 2}
\]
\[
= \frac{-9}{16}
\]

Thus, another method to compute the product \(-\frac{3}{8} \times 1 \frac{1}{2}\) can be expressed as:
\[
-\frac{3}{8} \times \frac{3}{2}
\]

Alternatively, you can compute it as:
\[
-\frac{3 \times 3}{8 \times 2} = \frac{-9}{16}
\]

So, both forms of the expression yield the same result.