• Leviathan@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    7 months ago

    Maybe someone better at math can answer this, but is 0.25/0.5 functionally the same as 0.5/1, or simply 0.5?

    • doctordevice@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      7 months ago

      You can call it whatever you want, as long as it equals 1/2 it’s the same number.

      So yes, multiplying by 2/2 to make it more intuitively obvious is perfectly valid and a good way to think about it. Most arithmetic tricks are ultimately multiplying by 1 or adding 0 just to make the problem easier to handle.

      • Leviathan@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        7 months ago

        Oh yeah, I just meant that they said I multiplied by 2, which in my head is 2/1 but I was multiplying by 1. Just trying to be clear.

    • 𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖈𝖞 𝕿𝖚𝖓𝖆@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      7 months ago

      I think it’s easier to picture it in terms of fractions. When you divide by a fraction, you reciprocate the divisor. That is, you flip its numerator and denominator, then multiply them. In this case, we’re taking 1/4 and dividing it by 1/2. You take the reciprocal of 1/2, which is 2/1. Then multiply the numerators and denominators. You end up with (1/4)*(2/1)=2/4=1/2=0.5

    • Fellstone@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      7 months ago

      0.25 is half of 0.5. Alternatively: A quarter is half of half. If you multiplied 0.25/0.5 by 2, then it would be 0.5/1, which is just 0.5.