How do you solve fraction word problems?

ex: Katherine has forty-two dresses. One-sixth of the dresses are blue. How many of Katherine's dresses are blue?

Question

How do you solve fraction word problems?

ex: Katherine has forty-two dresses. One-sixth of the dresses are blue. How many of Katherine's dresses are blue?

mertsj · Answer

Remember that in mathematics, of means "times"  So 1/6 of the dresses means 1/6 times the dresses.  Since there are 42 dresses that would be 1/6 times 42

mertsj · Answer

$$\frac{1}{6}\times42=  ?$$

sidmanfu · Answer

1/6 x 42 = 7?

mertsj · Answer

Yep.  Good job.  Katherine has 7 blue dresses.  Seems like a lot of blue dresses to me.