SSAT Upper Level Math : How to multiply fractions

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SSAT Upper Level Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : How To Multiply Fractions

Simplify the expression.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Start with the terms in parentheses, using the order of operations. Find the least common denominator.

Add the fractions in parentheses.

Multiply the fractions and simplify.

Example Question #2 : How To Multiply Fractions

Simplify the expression .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Beginning with , we multiply across both numerators and denominators for both terms:

Reducing the fraction to its simplest form by dividing by the Greatest Common Factor:

Example Question #2 : How To Multiply Fractions

Simplify the expression .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Multiplying across the numerators and denominators of both terms and simplifying:

Example Question #3 : How To Multiply Fractions

Simplify the expression .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

First, multiply straight across. Multiply the numerators together and then multiply the denominators together.

From here, simplify the expression by factoring out the Greatest Common Factor. 

In this case the Greatest Common Factor is 20.

Example Question #1 : How To Multiply Fractions

Steven runs a pizza shop. On Monday, he used  of a bag of flour. On Tuesday, he used  the amount he used on Monday. How much of a bag of flour did he use on Tuesday?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To find how many bags of flour he used on Tuesday, multiply  by .

To multiply fractions, multiply the numerators together, then multiply the denominators together.

Example Question #5 : How To Multiply Fractions

In Mary's class,  of the class owns a dog, and of those in the class that own a dog,  also owns a cat. What fraction of the class owns both a dog and a cat?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Multiply  by  to find out how much of the class have both a cat and a dog.

Example Question #3 : How To Multiply Fractions

A certain recipe for a batch of chocolate cookies calls for  of a cup of sugar to be used. If Mike only wants to make  of a batch, how much of a cup of sugar should he use?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Multiply  by  to find out how much sugar he needs to use.

Example Question #6 : How To Multiply Fractions

A poll was conducted at a high school. The poll found that  of the students at the school had siblings, and that  of the students who had siblings also had a dog at home. What fraction of the students have siblings and a dog?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To find what fraction of the students have siblings and a dog, multiply  by .

Example Question #4 : How To Multiply Fractions

Louis gave away  of his comic books to his sister. Of the ones he gave to his sister,  were Superman comics. What fraction of the comics that Louis gave away are Superman comics?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Multiply  by  to figure out what fraction of the comics are Superman comics.

Example Question #2 : How To Multiply Fractions

 of the students in an elementary school owns their own computer. Of those that own their own computer,  also owned their own cell phone. What fraction of the students owned both a computer and a cell phone?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Multiply  by  to find what fraction of the students own a computer and a cell phone.

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