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A reciprocal is useful to know in math because to divide fractions, you must multiply by the second fraction's reciprocal. For example:

2/3 divided by 4/7

is the same as

2/3 times 7/4.

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Q: Why is it useful to know what a reciprocal is in math?
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What does reciprocal mean in math?

A reciprocal is 1 divided by a number. So, the reciprocal of x is 1/x. For example: The reciprocal of 2 is 1/2 is 0.5 The reciprocal of 9 is 1/9 is 0.111111111111 The reciprocal of 0.5 is 1/0.5 is 2. To divide one by a number is called 'taking the reciprocal.' If you have a fraction, taking the reciprocal is fairly easy: simply 'flip' it. I.e., put the numerator in the denominator, and the denominator in the numerator. For example: The reciprocal of 2/3 is 3/2 The reciprocal of 7/8 is 8/7 The reciprocal of 1/4 is 4 (/1). The technical mathematical definition of the reciprocal of x is: "The number which, when multiplied by x, gives one."


What does reciprocal math term mean?

The reciprocal of any non-zero number is one divided by that number. The reciprocal of 0 is not defined. For example, if R(x) represents the reciprocal of x, then R(6) = 1/6 R(5/7) = 1 / (5/7) = 1*(7/5) = 7/5 R(x) = 1/x


What are powers in mathematics?

Mathematics are useful in everyday life. It can help you do your "math" homework, and do your math test/ exams.


What does the math term 'flip' mean?

Either it is an expression yelled by a teacher when something goes wrong, or it is an alternative term for "to find the reciprocal of". For example, the reciprocal of 3/4 is equal to 4/3 - you have "flipped" the fraction around.


Two numbers whose product is 1 are called?

Two numbers with a product of 1 are called reciprocals. If you have a number and want to find the reciprocal of it, simply divide 1 by the number. For example, the reciprocal of 5 is 1/5, and the reciprocal of 700 is 1/700.