1/3 divided by 5
Understand the Problem
The question is asking to divide the fraction 1/3 by the whole number 5. The approach involves rewriting the division of a fraction by a whole number as a multiplication by the reciprocal of that whole number.
Answer
\( \frac{1}{15} \)
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is ( \frac{1}{15} )
Steps to Solve
- Rewrite the problem as a multiplication problem
When dividing a fraction by a whole number, we multiply the fraction by the reciprocal of the whole number. The reciprocal of a number is 1 divided by that number. So, dividing by 5 is the same as multiplying by $\frac{1}{5}$:
$$ \frac{1}{3} \div 5 = \frac{1}{3} \times \frac{1}{5} $$
- Multiply the two fractions
To multiply fractions, simply multiply the numerators together and the denominators together:
$$ \frac{1}{3} \times \frac{1}{5} = \frac{1 \times 1}{3 \times 5} = \frac{1}{15} $$
- Simplify the resulting fraction
In this case, $\frac{1}{15}$ is already in its simplest form, so no further simplification is necessary.
The final answer is ( \frac{1}{15} )
More Information
Dividing by 5 means essentially finding what fraction of a fifth a given quantity is. In this case, one-third divided by five gives us one-fifteenth.
Tips
A common mistake is to forget to take the reciprocal of the whole number when rewriting the division problem as a multiplication problem.
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