Final answer:
When moving a fraction across an equal sign in an equation, multiply both sides by the reciprocal of the fraction. The reciprocal is created by inverting the numerator and the denominator of the original fraction, which simplifies to 1 when multiplied by the fraction.
Step-by-step explanation:
When you have a fraction on one side of an equation and you need to move it to the other side, you must multiply by the reciprocal of the fraction. The reciprocal of a fraction is obtained by flipping the numerator and the denominator. For example, the reciprocal of ¼ is 4/1, or simply 4. When you multiply a fraction by its reciprocal, the result is 1, because the numerator and the denominator of the fraction are equal, and any number divided by itself equals 1.
To illustrate, if you are solving an equation and you want to move ¼ to the other side, you would multiply both sides by 4 (the reciprocal of ¼) to isolate the variable you are solving for. By doing so, you have effectively cancelled out the fraction on one side, allowing you to proceed with solving the equation.