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Shite at maths, can someone help me with this so I can explain to son please?

x=3/5 y=1/3 z=2 4/5

Work out value of z+x*y

Can’t do it for the life of me & any help appreciated.

To keep on topic though I am not being unreasonable to think this maths will not help the majority of people day to day😃

OK so you need to multiply x and y and then add z. You have a mixtures of thirds and fifths, so you need to convert them all into fifteenths. One third is five fifteenths. Can you work it out now?

x*y is 1/5 - no need to put everything over fifteenths...

You need to find a times table that all the denominators can multiply into. So the 3 and the 5 will both fit into the number 15.
So 3/5 becomes 9/15, 1/3 becomes 5/15 and the 2 and 4/5 will become 2 and 12/15.
Then add up your numbers...
So the 26/15 becomes 1 and 11/15, plus your 2 whole from the last fraction, so 3 11/15.
I think!! Not sure I've added it all correctly as am sat waiting with half an eye on waiting for the dc to come out of their class!

Sorry actually you need to multiply x and y first. To multiply fractions you can just multiply the two numbers above the line and then the two numbers below the line. So 3/5 times 1/3 ... 3 x 1 is 3, 5 x 3 is 15, answer is therefore 3/15.

You can simplify that fraction by dividing both the top number and bottom number by 3 to get 1/5. Then add z.

X*y will be 1/5 (as previous poster has explained)
2 4/5 is 14/5

14+1=15 i.e. 15/5 i.e. 3

Answer is 3

There's a bit of confusion going on here about needing to find a common denominator. That's only needed for adding up.
Artistic has nailed it.

A multiplication sign trumps an addition sign do you first need to multiply x by y. That gives you 3/15 which you can rewrite as 1/5. You then add that to z (2 and 4/5) which gives you 2 and 5/5, which is equal to 3.

I think ....

As above then the final answer is 3.
X*y means multiply x by y = 1/5
Add z so 1/5 + 2 and 4/5 because 4/5 and one more fifth makes a whole

... so you first need to ...

Sorry for being maths dumb, but if there are no brackets to dictate order ( bodmas) why do the multiplication first?

Because it is equals so you work backwards.

Multiply comes before addition on bodmas.

Others have given the answer.

3/5 x 1/3 = 3/15 which simplifies to 1/5.

2 4/5 + 1/5 = 2 5/5 or 3 (-:

Because in BODMAS the M (multiplication) comes before the A (addition).

BODMAS still applies, there's just no Bs

z+xy
2 4/5 + (3/5)(1/3)
Convert 2 4/5 to 14/5
14/5 + (3/5)*(1/3)
14/5 + 3/15
14/5 + 1/5
15/5
3

Sorry ignore last post - bodmas just clicked multiplication before addition-just not my type of maths and ages since I did anything like this (at school)! & son was so tearful frustrated so thought i’d do a shout out for help, thank you all!

Sorry, just seen it's a times not an add at the end!!

It's testing a few things:

1. Do you understand how to multiply fractions
2. Do you understand how to add fractions
3. Do you understand how to simplify fractions.
4. Do you understand BIDMAS

1. To multiply fractions you just multiply top numbers with bottom numbers

1. To add fractions you need both to have the same denominator (bottom number). Then you just add the top numbers together e.g. 6/9 + 2/9 = 8/9. If they don't you need to find the number by which to multiply them that will give you the same denominators. So if you have 1/4 + 1/3, both 3 & 4 are divisible by 12 so express them as 12ths - 1/4 = 3/12 & 1/3 = 4/12 so you can do the sum as 3/12 + 4/12 = 7/12

1. Understand how to break a fraction down to its simplest form - e.g. 5/15 = 1/3 because both top and bottom can be divided by 5.

1. To understand the order you perform mathematical functions

Brackets
Indices (powers)
Division
Multiplication
Addition
Subtraction

BIDMAS.

Which means you'll realise you do the multiplication part first then the addition.

Sorry it's a bit of a tome but if you son get a good grounding in this it's super helpful.

I'm sure you know this, but BODMAS means you do the x before the +

That makes it all much easier!

whoops, loads more people have posted before I did!

If I remember BODMAS correctly (!) you do any brackets first then any orders/powers. Division and multiplication come next but they are 'equals' so if there are both of them to do you simply deal with them from left to right. And last come addition and subtraction, but they too are 'equals' so the left to right rule applies again.

Hmm, that may well be a big 'if' ....

Everyone has beaten me to it, but I’d add stick a post it note or something on your son’s homework saying he needed help to do it or his teacher will think he understands it better than he does.

Division and multiplication come next but they are 'equals' so if there are both of them to do you simply deal with them from left to right. And last come addition and subtraction, but they too are 'equals' so the left to right rule applies again.

This is correct but you don’t have to go left to right. You can do multiplication and division/addition and subtraction in any order that makes the equation easiest to solve.

Ooh, thanks PurpleDaisies, I didn't know that.

Purpledaisies-it’s online maths, we have left the question out so teacher can see he didn’t understand/struggled with it but due to answers on thread made him look at bodmas order and work it out and he did.
Thanks all