Question

Without dividing, do you expect seven-eighths divided by eleven-sixteenths to be greater than or less than 1? Explain.

Answer 1

There are a few ways to do it without dividing. Mainly, what you want to do is figure out which fraction is greater. If you have two numbers, \(\frac{a}{b}\), and a > b, then the quotient should be greater than 1. If b > a, then the quotient will be less than 1. But if b = a, then the quotient will equal 1.

Answer 2

In this case, what you can simply multiply 7/8 by 2/2 to get 14/16, an equivalent fraction. From here it is clear to see that 7/8 < 11/16

Answer 3

Therefore, since 7/8 is less than 11/16, the quotient will be less than 1.