The Golden Rule of Fraction Multiplication
Multiplying fractions might look tricky, but it's actually much simpler than adding or subtracting them! The golden rule is: multiply the top numbers together, and multiply the bottom numbers together. That's it!
When we write a fraction like 3/4, the number on top is called the numerator and the number on the bottom is called the denominator. So if you're multiplying 2/3 × 3/5, you multiply 2 × 3 to get the new numerator, and 3 × 5 to get the new denominator. Your answer is 6/15.
Think of it like combining pizza slices. If you have 1/2 of a pizza and you want to find 1/3 of that half, you're multiplying. You're finding a fraction of a fraction, which gives you a smaller piece.
A Simple Step-by-Step Example
Let's multiply 2/5 × 1/3. First, multiply the numerators: 2 × 1 = 2. Next, multiply the denominators: 5 × 3 = 15. Your answer is 2/15. Easy!
Sometimes your answer can be simplified (made smaller). For example, if you get 6/15, you can divide both the top and bottom by 3 to get 2/5. This is the same amount, just written more simply.
Think of it like photocopying a photocopy. When you multiply fractions, you're making a fraction smaller, just like a blurry copy of a copy.
Why This Works
Fractions show parts of a whole. When you multiply fractions, you're finding a part of a part. Imagine you have 1/2 of a chocolate bar. If you eat 1/3 of that half, you haven't eaten half the bar anymore—you've eaten a smaller amount. Multiplying shows exactly how small that amount is.
Practice with Whole Numbers
You can also multiply a fraction by a whole number. Just put the whole number over 1 first. So 4 × 3/5 becomes 4/1 × 3/5, which equals 12/5. You can even turn that into a mixed number: 2 2/5.