Question

The division of a by b is equivalent to multiplying the multiplicative inverse of b to a. Translate the previous sentence to a mathematical statement (your answer should contain multiplication):

a. a / b = b⁻1 * a
b. a / b = a * b⁻1
c. a / b = a / b
d. a / b = 1

Answer 1

The division of a by b can be mathematically expressed as the multiplication of a by the multiplicative inverse of b, which is correctly represented by the equation a / b = a * b^{-1}.

Step-by-step explanation:

The division of a number a by another number b is indeed equivalent to multiplying a by the multiplicative inverse of b, which is b^{-1}. This mathematical statement can be expressed as:

a / b = a * b^{-1}

Mathematically, the division of a number by another (such as dividing by 8) is the same as multiplication by the reciprocal of that number. The reciprocal of a number x is x^{-1} or 1/x. Therefore, if we apply this principle to the equation given in the question, we get the correct mathematical translation which is option b:

a / b = a * b^{-1}