Arranging Fractions in Descending Order: 1/5, 3/4, 7/8, and 1/2
To arrange the fractions 1/5, 3/4, 7/8, and 1/2 in descending order (from largest to smallest), we need to find a common denominator. Here's how:
1. Finding the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of the denominators:
The denominators are 5, 4, 8, and 2. The LCM of these numbers is 40.
2. Converting each fraction to an equivalent fraction with the denominator of 40:
- 1/5: Multiply both numerator and denominator by 8: (1 x 8) / (5 x 8) = 8/40
- 3/4: Multiply both numerator and denominator by 10: (3 x 10) / (4 x 10) = 30/40
- 7/8: Multiply both numerator and denominator by 5: (7 x 5) / (8 x 5) = 35/40
- 1/2: Multiply both numerator and denominator by 20: (1 x 20) / (2 x 20) = 20/40
3. Arranging the fractions in descending order:
Now that all the fractions have the same denominator, we can easily compare their numerators:
- 35/40
- 30/40
- 20/40
- 8/40
Therefore, the fractions arranged in descending order are:
7/8, 3/4, 1/2, 1/5
