Calculate $\frac{8}{5} \times 3$. Give your answer as a fraction in its lowest terms.
Answer (1)
Multiply the numerator of the fraction by the integer: 8 × 3 = 24 .
Keep the denominator the same: The fraction becomes 5 24 .
Check if the fraction can be simplified. Since 24 and 5 have no common factors other than 1, the fraction is already in its lowest terms.
The final answer is 5 24 .
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We need to calculate the product of the fraction 5 8 and the integer 3. The answer should be a fraction in its lowest terms.
Multiplying the Fraction by the Integer To multiply a fraction by an integer, we multiply the numerator of the fraction by the integer and keep the denominator the same. So, we have 5 8 × 3 = 5 8 × 3
Calculating the Numerator Now, we calculate the numerator: 8 × 3 = 24 So, the resulting fraction is 5 24
Checking for Simplification Finally, we need to check if the fraction 5 24 can be simplified to its lowest terms. The factors of 24 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24. The factors of 5 are 1 and 5. Since the only common factor of 24 and 5 is 1, the fraction is already in its lowest terms.
Examples
Fractions are used in everyday life, such as when cooking, measuring ingredients, or splitting a bill with friends. For example, if you have a pizza with 5 slices and you want to eat 3 times the amount of one slice, this problem shows you how to calculate that you would eat 5 24 of the pizza, which is 4 whole slices and 5 4 of another slice.
