Multiply straight across — no common denominator needed! You're just finding a part of a part.
✖️The Rule: Go Straight Across
Numerator × numerator on top, denominator × denominator on the bottom. No common denominator needed!
🔲Why It Works: Part of a Part
▦Area Model · ½ × ¾
Split the whole into 8 equal pieces (2 rows × 4 columns). The double-shaded overlap is 3 of those 8.
🟪 ½ × ¾ = 3/8
📊Half of a Half · ½ × ½
“Of” means multiply! Half of a half leaves just 1 of 4 equal parts.
🍫 ½ × ½ = 1/4
🪜3 Easy Steps (Recipe Example)
🔑Key Terms
⬆️NumeratorTop number — multiply numerators across.
⬇️DenominatorBottom number — multiply denominators across.
✖️FactorA number being multiplied.
🟰ProductThe answer to a multiplication problem.
🧩Part of a PartWhat you find when you multiply a fraction by a fraction.
👉“Of”In fraction problems, the word “of” means multiply.
⭐Remember: multiply straight across — tops × tops, bottoms × bottoms. No common denominator! And multiplying by a fraction less than one makes your answer SMALLER.