Work out 3/4 × 2/5. Give your answer in its simplest form.

Step by step

The question

Question: work out 3/4 × 2/5.

1 Multiply tops and bottoms

To multiply fractions, we do top times top, and bottom times bottom.

Top times top: 3 × 2.

Bottom times bottom: 4 × 5.

3 × 2 is 6.

4 × 5 is 20.

2 Simplify

To make it simpler, we need a number that goes into the top and the bottom.

What goes into 6 and 20?

We list the numbers that go into each.

Into 6: 1, 2, 3, 6.

Into 20: 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20.

2 is the biggest one in both lists.

We divide the top and the bottom by 2.

The fraction keeps its size.

6 divided by 2 is 3.

20 divided by 2 is 10.

So it is 3/10.

Can we make it simpler?

No number goes into both 3 and 10, except 1.

So it stays like this.

So the answer is 3/10.

Let's look back.

First: multiply tops and bottoms.

Last: simplify.