A stack of 3 1/3 boxes is repeated 2 1/4 times in a layout. Compute 3 1/3 × 2 1/4, the total number of boxes, as a fraction in lowest terms.

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A stack of $3 \frac{1}{3}$ boxes is repeated $2 \frac{1}{4}$ times in a layout. Compute $3 \frac{1}{3} \times 2 \frac{1}{4}$ , the total number of boxes, as a fraction in lowest terms.

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Hint

Convert both numbers to improper fractions before multiplying.

Solution

$3 \frac{1}{3} = \frac{10}{3}$ and $2 \frac{1}{4} = \frac{9}{4}$ .
Multiply: $\frac{10}{3} \times \frac{9}{4} = \frac{90}{12}$ .
Cancel $3$ first for ease: $10 \times \frac{3}{4} = \frac{30}{4}$ .
In lowest terms the product is $\frac{15}{2}$ .

Answer: $\frac{15}{2}$

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