✖️ Multiplying Fractions

What you’ll learn

1. The Straight-Across RuleMultiply two fractions by multiplying the numerators and denominators straight across, then simplify.Multiplying fractions means multiplying the tops together and the bottoms together: 3/5 × 2/3 = 6/15 = 2/5. Unlike adding, no common denominator is needed. An area model shows why — the overlap of 3/5 one way and 2/3 the other covers 2/5 of the whole.
2. Whole Numbers and FractionsMultiply a fraction by a whole number and recognize answers greater than one whole.A whole number can be written over 1, so 4 = 4/1, and then 4 × 2/3 = 8/3. Multiplying a fraction by a whole number is repeated addition: 3 × 1/4 = 3/4. Sometimes the answer passes one whole, like 5 × 1/3 = 5/3 = 1 and 2/3.
3. Cancel to Make It EasyCancel common factors before multiplying to keep numbers small and land on the simplest form.Before multiplying, divide out common factors between a top and a bottom. For 4/9 × 3/8, cancel the 4 with the 8 and the 3 with the 9 to get 1/3 × 1/2 = 1/6 — the same as 12/72 but with far smaller numbers. Cancelling first makes every product simpler.

Questions this course answers

Grounded in trusted sources

• Khan Academy
• Math is Fun
• Britannica Kids
• NCTM — Illuminations

Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.

Related Math courses