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Andy needs to solve (4/5) ÷ (4/5). He plans to multiply (4/5) × (5/4). Will Andy's strategy work?

a. Yes
b. No

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

Andy's strategy is correct because dividing a fraction by itself is equivalent to multiplying it by its reciprocal, which yields unity. Multiplying (4/5) by its reciprocal (5/4) is the same as dividing (4/5) by (4/5), resulting in the answer of 1.

Step-by-step explanation:

Andy's strategy of solving (4/5) ÷ (4/5) by multipliying (4/5) × (5/4) will indeed work. This is because dividing by a fraction is equivalent to multiplying by its reciprocal. The reciprocal of a number or fraction is simply one divided by that number or fraction. In the case of (4/5), the reciprocal is (5/4). Therefore, when Andy multiplies (4/5) by (5/4), he is effectively performing the division operation (4/5) ÷ (4/5), which results in 1, or unity. This is an application of the mathematical property that states multiplication or division by a number's reciprocal yields unity.

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