3 1/8 Divided by 2 1/2: A Step-by-Step Guide
Dividing mixed numbers can be a bit tricky, but with the right steps, you can master it. In this article, we'll walk you through the process of dividing 3 1/8 by 2 1/2.
Converting Mixed Numbers to Improper Fractions
To divide mixed numbers, we need to convert them to improper fractions first. An improper fraction is a fraction where the numerator is greater than or equal to the denominator.
3 1/8
To convert 3 1/8 to an improper fraction, we'll multiply the whole number part (3) by the denominator (8) and add the numerator (1):
3 × 8 = 24 24 + 1 = 25
So, 3 1/8 becomes:
25/8
2 1/2
Now, let's convert 2 1/2 to an improper fraction:
2 × 2 = 4 4 + 1 = 5
So, 2 1/2 becomes:
5/2
Dividing Improper Fractions
Now that we have our improper fractions, we can divide them:
25/8 ÷ 5/2
To divide fractions, we'll invert the second fraction (i.e., flip the numerator and denominator) and then multiply:
25/8 × 2/5
Multiply the numerators and denominators separately:
(25 × 2) / (8 × 5) = 50 / 40
Simplifying the Result
We can simplify the fraction 50/40 by dividing both the numerator and denominator by their greatest common divisor (GCD), which is 10:
50 ÷ 10 = 5 40 ÷ 10 = 4
So, the final result is:
5/4
There you have it! 3 1/8 divided by 2 1/2 is equal to 5/4.
