Multiply 8 by (-7/2). Write your answer in simplest form.

Question image

Understand the Problem

The question is asking to multiply the number 8 by the fraction (-7/2) and to present the final answer in its simplest form.

Answer

$-28$
Answer for screen readers

The final answer is $-28$.

Steps to Solve

  1. Convert the whole number to a fraction

Convert the number 8 into a fraction by expressing it as $\frac{8}{1}$.

  1. Multiply the fractions

Now we will multiply the two fractions. This can be done by multiplying the numerators together and the denominators together: $$ \frac{8}{1} \cdot \frac{-7}{2} = \frac{8 \cdot (-7)}{1 \cdot 2} $$

  1. Calculate the numerator and denominator

Calculating the numerator and the denominator gives: $$ \frac{-56}{2} $$

  1. Simplify the fraction

To simplify $\frac{-56}{2}$, divide both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor (GCD), which is 2: $$ \frac{-56 \div 2}{2 \div 2} = \frac{-28}{1} = -28 $$

The final answer is $-28$.

More Information

The multiplication of a whole number by a fraction results in a simplified fraction. In this case, multiplying 8 by $-\frac{7}{2}$ produced a negative integer, which illustrates that multiplying positive and negative numbers results in a negative product.

Tips

  • Not converting the whole number to a fraction: Some might forget to express 8 as $\frac{8}{1}$ before multiplying.
  • Incorrectly simplifying the fraction: Make sure to divide both the numerator and denominator by their GCD to get the simplest form.
Thank you for voting!
Use Quizgecko on...
Browser
Browser