What you need to know

Things to remember:

  • When multiplying a fraction by a whole number, we just multiply the top.
  • To multiply a mixed number we multiply the whole number and then the fraction, then put them together.

We will start by looking at multiplying whole numbers and proper fractions, which are just fractions where the top is smaller than the bottom.

What is \dfrac{1}{4} \times 3?

We can think of multiplying as “lots of” something. Here we have 3 lots of \dfrac{1}{4}.



If we count these up, we can see that there are \dfrac{3}{4}.

\frac{1}{4} \times 3=\frac{3}{4}

So, all we do is multiply the top of the fraction by the whole number, and the bottom stays the same!

How about if we are multiplying a mixed number by a whole number?

What is 5\dfrac{2}{7} \times 2?

We just multiply the whole number and the fraction separately, then put them together at the end.



5\frac{2}{7} \times 2=10\frac{4}{7}

Example Questions

\dfrac{2}{13} \times 3=\frac{6}{13}





3\frac{1}{11} \times 6=18\frac{6}{11}

Need some extra help? Find a Maths tutor now

Or, call 020 3633 5145