64.2k views
1 vote
It's due in 3 minutes. Tate is dividing 30 by 1/2. He gets 15. Katie looks at his answer and tells him he is wrong, the answer is 60. a) Who is correct? Why is he/she correct? b) Can you find a rule for dividing a whole number by a fraction with 1 as the numerator? What is it? c) Show that your rule works with three other examples.

a) Katie is correct because dividing 30 by 1/2 equals 60.
b) The rule for dividing a whole number by a fraction with 1 as the numerator is to multiply the whole number by the reciprocal of the fraction. In this case, it would be 30 * 2/1 = 60.
c) Provide three examples that demonstrate the rule.

User MadProfit
by
8.3k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

Katie is correct; the result of dividing 30 by 1/2 is 60. To divide a whole number by a fraction with 1 as the numerator, multiply by the denominator of the fraction. Examples include 20 divided by 1/3 resulting in 60, 10 divided by 1/4 resulting in 40, and 50 divided by 1/5 resulting in 250.

Step-by-step explanation:

Katie is correct in stating that dividing 30 by 1/2 equals 60. This is because division by a fraction is equivalent to multiplying by its reciprocal. To find the result of dividing a whole number by a fraction with 1 as the numerator, you multiply the whole number by the reciprocal of the fraction.

Rule for Dividing by a Fraction

The rule for dividing a whole number by a fraction with 1 as the numerator is to multiply the whole number by the denominator of the fraction. For example, 30 divided by 1/2 is 30 * 2/1, which equals 60.

Examples Demonstrating the Rule

  • 20 divided by 1/3 is 20 * 3/1 = 60
  • 10 divided by 1/4 is 10 * 4/1 = 40
  • 50 divided by 1/5 is 50 * 5/1 = 250

These examples clearly illustrate that when you divide a whole number by a fraction with 1 as the numerator, you end up multiplying the number by the denominator of that fraction.

User Wallace Vizerra
by
8.4k points