Word Problems with Mixed Numbers - Online - Free Printable

Let’s work through the problem step by step.

We are multiplying two fractions:
3/8 × 2/4

Before multiplying, we can simplify by looking at diagonals — that is, check if any numerator and denominator from different fractions have common factors (other than 1). This helps make the numbers smaller and easier to multiply.

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Step 1: Look at diagonal between 3 (numerator of first fraction) and 4 (denominator of second fraction).
Do 3 and 4 share a common factor besides 1?
→ No. So answer is No.

Step 2: Look at diagonal between 2 (numerator of second fraction) and 8 (denominator of first fraction).
Do 2 and 8 share a common factor besides 1?
→ Yes! Both are divisible by 2. So answer is Yes.

Step 3: What is the greatest common factor between 2 and 8?
→ It’s 2.

Step 4: Divide both 2 and 8 by 2.
What is 2 ÷ 2? → 1
What is 8 ÷ 2? → 4

So now, replace the original numbers with these simplified ones:

Original:
  3 2
  — × —
  8 4

After simplifying 2 and 8:
  3 1
  — × —
  4 4

Wait — let’s double-check how this works.

Actually, when you cross-simplify like this:

You’re dividing the 2 (from numerator of second fraction) by 2 → becomes 1
And you’re dividing the 8 (from denominator of first fraction) by 2 → becomes 4

So the new problem becomes:

 3 1
  — × —
  4 4

Now, multiply numerators: 3 × 1 = 3
Multiply denominators: 4 × 4 = 16

But wait — the worksheet says:

> So the new problem is 3/64 × 21/4 ??? That doesn’t look right.

Hold on — there seems to be a mistake in the image itself.

Looking again at the image text:

It says:
> So the new problem is 3/64 × 21/4

That must be a typo or error in the worksheet. Because after simplifying 2 and 8 by dividing by 2, we should get:

First fraction: 3 / 8 → becomes 3 / 4 (since 8 ÷ 2 = 4)
Second fraction: 2 / 4 → becomes 1 / 4 (since 2 ÷ 2 = 1)

So correct simplified version is:
3/4 × 1/4

Then multiplying:
Numerator: 3 × 1 = 3
Denominator: 4 × 4 = 16
Final answer: 3/16

But the worksheet then asks:

> Multiply the numerators. What is 3 x 1 ?

That matches our corrected version — so likely the “3/64 × 21/4” part is a printing error.

Therefore, ignoring that incorrect line, and following the logic up to “What is 3 x 1?” — which is clearly asking for the product of the simplified numerators.

So:

✔ Final calculation:
Numerators: 3 × 1 = 3

This will become the numerator of the final answer. The full answer would also need the denominator (4 × 4 = 16), but since the question specifically asks only for “What is 3 x 1?”, we just give that.

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Final Answer:
3