To get the answer, flip the divisor (the second fraction) over, and then multiply the fractions. (Or, to put it another way, multiply the dividend [the first fraction] by the reciprocal of the divisor [the second fraction].) In this case, that makes the problem: We begin by multiplying the numerators: And then we multiply the denominators: The answer has a numerator of 4 and a denominator of 2. In other words: This fraction can be reduced to lowest terms: There are 2 quarter-pies in a half-pie.
Another Example
Let’s try another: We flip the divisor over, and change the division sign to a multiplication sign: We multiply the numerators: And we multiply the denominators: The answer has a numerator of 28 and a denominator of 30. In other words: We can reduce this fraction by dividing the numerator and denominator by 2:
Mixed Numbers
Let’s try one more, this time with a mixed number: First we change the mixed number to an improper fraction: Next we flip the divisor over and change the division sign to a multiplication sign: We multiply the numerators: And we multiply the denominators: The answer has a numerator of 27 and a denominator of 8. In other words: Finally, we turn the result—an improper fraction—into a mixed number.
