THE USE OF FRACTIONS
It is already assumed that the student can add, subtract, multiply, and
divide fractions but there is one other concept that may be new to
students. The idea can be expressed as a "conversion" of one integer to
another integer by multiplying it by the appropriate fraction.
If we have the number 3 in an equation but we need the number 2
for a balance, we can
divide 3 by 3 and then multiply it by 2.
To put it simply, we multiply 3 by 2/3.
This technique may be used many times while balancing an
equation. Fractions can be very helpful.
As a better example,
if we have only a single H5 on the left side but we need 7 H's on the left side,
we can give H5 the coefficient:
7/5 H5
Let's consider the unbalanced equation:
O3 => O2
We can balance it with a fraction as so:
2/3 O3 => O2
Our final answer should use only integers. If we multiply
both sides by 3, we get:
2 O3 => 3 O2
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