How to multiply fractions

Fractions can literally send shivers up one's spine. But they're not really as tough as some may think. In this article, I'll show you how to multiply fractions. And I'll walk you through each step, making the process as painless as possible.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Let's say we want to multiply 1/5 by 3/8. Our first step is to multiply the two numerators together.
   
   Now for those of you who don't know what a numerator is, let me tell you. You see a fraction is made up of 2 parts: a numerator and a denominator.
   
   The numerator is the number on top and the denominator is the number on the bottom. So the fraction 2/3 has a numerator of 2 and a denominator of 3.
   
   So in my example, we're multiplying 1/5 by 3/8. Multiplying the two numerators together would give us 1x3 or 3. This becomes our answer's numerator!

2. Now that we've calculated the numerator to our answer, it's time to find the denominator. And we do that by simply multiplying the two denominators together.
   
   In my example, we're multiplying 1/5 by 3/8. So multiplying the two denominators together would give us 5x8 or 40. This means our answer's denominator is 40.

3. Our final step is to simply put our answer from step 1 on top of our answer from step 2.
   
   Our answer from step 1 was 3 and our answer from step 2 was 40. So putting 3 on top of 40 gives us an answer of 3/40.
   
   So 1/3 x 3/5 = 3/40.
   
   TIP: If you needed to reduce your answer to lowest terms, you can do that now. In other words, I suggest doing the multiplication first and then reducing afterwards. I find this works better for students because it helps identify mistakes and gives you a correct answer by which you can double-check yourself.

Tips & Warnings

• Multiply numerators
• Multiply denominators
• Reduce if necessary after doing the multiplication