Multiply these two fractions:
$\frac{1}{2} \times \frac{1}{4}=?$
Answer (1)
Multiply the numerators: 1 × 1 = 1 .
Multiply the denominators: 2 × 4 = 8 .
The resulting fraction is 8 1 .
The final answer is 8 1 .
Explanation
Problem Analysis We are asked to multiply two fractions: 2 1 and 4 1 .
Multiplying Numerators and Denominators To multiply fractions, we multiply the numerators together and the denominators together. The numerator of the first fraction is 1, and the numerator of the second fraction is 1. So, the numerator of the product is 1 × 1 = 1 . The denominator of the first fraction is 2, and the denominator of the second fraction is 4. So, the denominator of the product is 2 × 4 = 8 .
The Result Therefore, the product of the two fractions is 8 1 .
Examples
Understanding fraction multiplication is essential in many real-life scenarios. For instance, if you are baking a cake and the recipe calls for 2 1 cup of flour, but you only want to make 4 1 of the recipe, you would need to calculate 2 1 × 4 1 to determine how much flour to use. This calculation tells you that you need 8 1 cup of flour.
