Answer: No, they are not equal fractions.
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Step-by-step explanation:
Let's assume for a moment that they were equal. The steps shown below will prove otherwise.
12/25 = 5/3
12*3 = 25*5 ... cross multiply
36 = 125
The last equation is false so the original equation is false
Therefore, 12/25 is not equal to 5/3
Note: the cross multiply rule has us go from A/B = C/D to A*D = B*C
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Here's another approach we could do.
Use a calculator to convert each fraction to decimal form.
- 12/25 = 0.48 exactly
- 5/3 = 1.67 approximately
We get different decimal values, so there's no way the fractions are the same.
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A third method.
12/25 is a proper fraction since the numerator is smaller than the denominator. Think "small on top".
But 5/3 is an improper fraction because it's flipped the other way around: the numerator is larger than denominator here. Think "large on top".
We don't need to do any math to see this mismatch and therefore the fractions are not equal.