Any one know the answer to this maths sum?

[kid]

4 2/3 divide 1 2/5

(there are a few more too but just this one for now!)

3 1/3. do you want the workings out?

yes please

ok, first you need to turn both into just a fraction (rather than a whole number and a fraction)

so 4 2/3 becomes 14/3
and 1 2/5 becomes 7/5

with me so far or do I need to explain that better?

It is not maths it is arithmetic..... .

Sorry - maths pedant if such a thing exists.

Thanks for your help,

its my nephews homework that has to be in tomorrow. He just phoned again to tell me they only have to add the sums not divide and multiply as he originally told me!

He also wants to take the day off school tomorrow so I can help him do the homework then he won't have to go to school after an incident that happened today.

keep explaining though philippat, I'm with you so far!

so, you have:

14/3 divided by 7/5

now handily when you divide a fraction by a fraction all you need to do is reverse the second one and multiply instead

so your question becomes:

14/3 x 5/7

Is this making any sense?

Gome - these days everything to do with numeracy is badged as maths!

philipat - you are spot on so far!!

so you multiply the top line

14 x 5 = 70

and the bottom line

3 x 7 = 21

giving you a final fraction of 70/21

There are 21 goes into 70 3 times leaving 7... so 70/21 becomes 3 7/21

7/21 is the same as 1/3

so your answer is 3 1/3

make sense?

yes, still with you!
I didn't know that you multiply a fraction by a fraction instead of dividing which is useful as I'm not good at division!!!

well that got my brain going even if you didn't need it

can you do addition on your own?

I know soapbox, I know - it bugs me as make as a rouge comma thou'.

Sad individual that I am.

I'm fine with adding fractions, but how good are you at reducing fractions like 18/108 or 375/775

hmm, I'm sure there's a more scientific method than my trial and error one...

but 18/108 is 2/12 (both divide by 9, I'm good at my nine times table)

The first 1 divides by 9 - not sure about the second but start with 25.

what kind of incident kid?

(would love to see a rouge comma - mine are all in black )

we are using the trial and error method too!

What do you get for reducing 72/84?

375 and 775 clearly both divide by 5

which gives you 75/155

ooh look both divide by 5 again...

15/31

I think I would have tried the original sum with /15ths -

14/3=70/15, 7/5=21/15

70/15 div by 21/15

70 is 10x7
21 is 3x7

and 10 div by 3 is 3 1/3

but no idea how you would lay out the last step!

kid, what age is your nephew? These are hard!

A whole gang of boys chased after him to beat him up, he had to hide and keep walking to the next bus stop as they were all waiting for him. His dad is going to the school with him tomorrow. Hope the teachers do something about it.

use 6 for the 72/84

OOh, no, 12 - it's 6/7

He turned 12 last week and has just started secondary school. We found them hard too!

How old were the little sods who chased him? Changing schools can be so tough - could he go home a different way or with a friend or something?