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In mathematics, the method of clearing denominators, also called clearing fractions, is a technique for simplifying an equation equating two expressions that each are a sum of rational expressions – which includes simple fractions.
For example, a fraction is put in lowest terms by cancelling out the common factors of the numerator and the denominator. [2] As another example, if a × b = a × c , then the multiplicative term a can be canceled out if a ≠0, resulting in the equivalent expression b = c ; this is equivalent to dividing through by a .
The choice between fraction and decimal notation is often a matter of taste and context. Fractions are used most often when the denominator is relatively small. By mental calculation, it is easier to multiply 16 by 3 ⁄ 16 than to do the same calculation using the fraction
Software calculators that simulate hand-held, immediate execution calculators do not use the full power of the computer: "A computer is a far more powerful device than a hand-held calculator, and thus it is illogical and limiting to duplicate hand-held calculators on a computer."
When a partial fraction term has a single (i.e. unrepeated) binomial in the denominator, the numerator is a residue of the function defined by the input fraction. We calculate each respective numerator by (1) taking the root of the denominator (i.e. the value of x that makes the denominator zero) and (2) then substituting this root into the ...
An equivalent definition is sometimes useful: if a and b are integers, then the fraction a / b is irreducible if and only if there is no other equal fraction c / d such that | c | < | a | or | d | < | b |, where | a | means the absolute value of a. [4] (Two fractions a / b and c / d are equal or equivalent if and ...
In some contexts it is desirable to round a given number x to a "neat" fraction – that is, the nearest fraction y = m/n whose numerator m and denominator n do not exceed a given maximum. This problem is fairly distinct from that of rounding a value to a fixed number of decimal or binary digits, or to a multiple of a given unit m.
A fixed-point representation of a fractional number is essentially an integer that is to be implicitly multiplied by a fixed scaling factor. For example, the value 1.23 can be stored in a variable as the integer value 1230 with implicit scaling factor of 1/1000 (meaning that the last 3 decimal digits are implicitly assumed to be a decimal fraction), and the value 1 230 000 can be represented ...