To find the reciprocal of a fraction, flip it over, so that the numerator becomes the denominator and the denominator becomes the numerator. That is:
The reciprocal of 4/5 is 5/4
Note that the product of a fraction and its reciprocal is always 1.
4/5 x 5/4 = 20/20 = 1
In the case of a whole number, think of it as having a denominator of 1:
The reciprocal of 5 is 1/5.5/1 x 1/5 = 5/5 = 1
Every number has a reciprocal except for 0. There is nothing you can multiply by 0 to create a product of 1, so it has no reciprocal.
Reciprocals are used when dividing fractions.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Related content from HighBeam Research on: Reciprocal Fractions
Fractions.(DISCOVERY with Neville de Mestre) (Australian Mathematics Teacher)
Investigating the relationship between fraction proficiency and success in algebra.(Report) (Australian Mathematics Teacher)
Horsey Fraction-Nitions. (Child Life)
Stiffness and Fraction of Myosin Motors Responsible for Active Force in Permeabilized Muscle Fibers from Rabbit Psoas (Biophysical Journal)
Mechanism of the Inhibition of Calmodulin-Dependent Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase by Flaxseed Protein Hydrolysates (JAOCS, Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society)
Variations in clinical estimates of tumor volume regression parameters and time factor during external radiotherapy in cancer cervix: Does it mimic the linear-quadratic model of cell survival? (Indian Journal of Cancer)
True airspeed, the GPS way (Plane and Pilot)
Unilateral international transfers: unrequited and generally unheeded. (New England Economic Review)
The maize genome sequencing project (Plant Physiology)
Viscosity of a CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 melt containg spinel particles at 1646 K (Metallurgical and Materials Transactions)
Additional search results provided by HighBeam Research, LLC. © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.
