Maths question

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Can anyone tell me what 1/3 of 3/8 is please.

Both DC answered the same, They said that's how the teacher has taught them but the answer on the answer sheet is different.

1/3 of 3/8 can't be 1 1/8 as that answer is larger than the amount they started with

One third of three anythings is in anything.

1/3 × 3/8 = 3/24 = 1/8 soupdragon

1/3 x 3/8 is 1/8

1/3 of anything = multiply rather than divide

The question was

1/3 of 3/8

I just assumed it was 1/8 as that makes sense but they said they used a Keep change flip method.

I've shown them this thread. Thanks everyone

Yes I think they must have divided

Their mistake was dividing rather than multiplying then. If it says 'of' it means multiply

And as a pp said a third of anything must be smaller than what you started with. A third of a cake is not bigger than the original cake.

Why does of mean to multiply?
Genuinely confused.

1/3 × 3/8 = 3/24 = 1/8 soupdragon

Yes. I picked the wrong sign and wasn’t paying attention.

1/8. I was taught in school (30+ years ago now...) that "of" means multiply.

Why does of mean to multiply?

I'll have 6 of those packs of apples [if 3 in a pack, that is 18 apples].

Half of the cake [the cake times 1/2 or divided by two].

Yes of means multiply.

One third of anything is that thing divided by three.

If you said to your DC “you’ve got 3 oranges, give me one third of them” they’d give you one orange.

So in this case they have three things called eighths. One third of those three eighths is one eighth.

1/3 of 3/8 is 1/8.

"of" = multiply is a way of simplifying the concept. You don't need to think about what to do, you just apply the rule.

A third of one pizza is not three pizzas.

Clearly, the teacher is wrong.
Have they asked them about it? If not, they should.

1/3 of 3/8 is 3/8 ÷ 3.

1/8. Or 3/24.

You have an orange with 8 segments. You take out 3 of them - 3/8. You then eat 1/3 of those three segments (1/3 of 3/8), that is one segment of an 8 segment orange = 1/8.
of can be substituted for multiply

If you asked for 'half of those (10) sweets please' you would expect 5 not 20! So 'of' means x.

1/2 x 10 = 1/2 x 10/1 = 10/2 = 5

If you said 'share those 10 sweets so everyone gets 1/2 each' you could feed 20 children

10 div 0.5 = 10 / (1/2) = 10 x 2/1 = 20

They have either misunderstood the teacher, or the teacher had a brain freeze. Assume they misunderstood until proven otherwise.

1/2 * 10/1= 20/1 or 20

Makes sense to somebody

leaving the maths aside

If there was 3/8 of a cake left and you each had one third of the cake, you would be eating 1/8 of the original cake.

I cannot see ho it can be anything else, and to be honest if it is 1 1/8, then I suspect there is a flaw in how the question is worded.

It looks like the teacher somehow multiplied the two 3 and ended up with 9/8.

But:
1 / 3 x 3 / 8 = 1 / 9 /8 = 1*8/9 so, I still don't get 1 + 1/8