GRE Math : Fractions

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #441 : Arithmetic

A clothing store can only purchase socks in crates. Each crate has 200 socks and costs $2091.

Quantity A: The amount of socks that can be bought with $12651.

Quantity B: The amount of socks that can be bought with $14574.

Possible Answers:

Quantity B is greater.

The relationship cannot be determined.

Quantity A is greater.

The two quantities are equal.

Correct answer:

The two quantities are equal.

Explanation:

For this problem, realize that the store cannot buy part of a crate of socks. If they only have enough to pay for part of a crate, they might as well not have any money at all.

For the amount of money listed, figure out how many crates can be purchased:

Quantity A

So six crates can be purchased.

Quantity B:

Not quite enough for seven; only six crates can be purchased.

The two quantities are equal.

Example Question #31 : Fractions

Write 0.45 as a fraction.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

.45 is equivalent to 45 out of 100, or .

Divide both the numerator and denominator by 5 to simplify the fraction: 

Example Question #441 : Arithmetic

Choose the answer below which best expresses the following decimal as a fraction (choose the answer which has been reduced/simplified the most):

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To convert from a decimal to a fraction, simply put the digits over  followed by a number of zeroes equal to the number of digits:

Then, you can reduce:

Example Question #448 : Arithmetic

Choose the answer below which best expresses the following decimal as a fraction (choose the answer which has been reduced/simplified the most):

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To convert from a decimal to a fraction, simply put the digits over one followed by a number of zeroes equal to the number of digits:

 is prime, so there's no way to reduce.  You're done!

Example Question #449 : Arithmetic

Choose the answer below which best expresses the following decimal as a fraction (choose the answer which has been reduced/simplified the most):

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To convert from a decimal to a fraction, simply put the digits over one followed by a number of zeroes equal to the number of digits:

 

The zero in front of the  can be removed, leaving: , which can be reducted to: 

Example Question #451 : Arithmetic

Choose the answer below which best expresses the following decimal as a fraction (choose the answer which has been reduced/simplified the most):

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To convert from a decimal to a fraction, simply put the digits over one followed by a number of zeroes equal to the number of digits:

You cannot reduce, as one of the numbers in the fraction is prime, so that's your final answer. 

Example Question #31 : Fractions

Choose the answer below which best expresses the following decimal as a fraction (choose the answer which has been reduced/simplified the most):

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To convert from a decimal to a fraction, simply put the digits over one followed by a number of zeroes equal to the number of digits:

Then, you can reduce for your final answer:

Example Question #1 : Operations

What is the result of adding  of  to ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Let us first get our value for the percentage of the first fraction. 20% of 2/7 is found by multiplying 2/7 by 2/10 (or, simplified, 1/5): (2/7) * (1/5) = (2/35)

Our addition is therefore (2/35) + (1/4). There are no common factors, so the least common denominator will be 35 * 4 or 140. Multiply the numerator and denominator of 2/35 by 4/4 and the numerator of 1/4 by 35/35.

This yields:

(8/140) + (35/140)  = 43/140, which cannot be reduced.

Example Question #1 : How To Add Fractions

Reduce to simplest form:  

Possible Answers:

\frac{1}{4}

\frac{1}{12}

\frac{3}{8}

\frac{3}{4}

\frac{1}{3}

Correct answer:

\frac{1}{12}

Explanation:

Simplify expressions inside parentheses first: \dpi{100} \small \left (\frac{4}{3} \times \frac{3}{8} \right ) = \frac{12}{24} = \frac{1}{2}  and \dpi{100} \small \left (\frac{1}{4} \div \frac{3}{8} \right ) = \left (\frac{1}{4} \times \frac{8}{3} \right ) = \frac{8}{12} = \frac{2}{3}

 

Now we have: \frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{2} - \frac{2}{3}

Add them by finding the common denominator (LCM of 4, 2, and 3 = 12) and then multiplying the top and bottom of each fraction by whichever factors are missing from this common denominator:

\dpi{100} \small \frac{1\times 3}{4\times 3} + \frac{1\times 6}{2\times 6} - \frac{2\times 4}{3\times 4} =\frac{3}{12} + \frac{6}{12} - \frac{8}{12} = \frac{1}{12}

Example Question #2 : How To Add Fractions

Quantity A: 

Quantity B: 

Which of the following is true?

Possible Answers:

Quantity A is larger.

The two quantities are equal.

Quantity B is larger.

The relationship between the two quantities cannot be determined.

Correct answer:

The two quantities are equal.

Explanation:

Start by looking at Quantity A. The common denominator for this expression is . To calculate this, you perform the following multiplications:

This is the same as:

, or 

This is the same as Quantity B. They are equal!

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