Simple Strategy Question

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Simple Strategy Question

by rmvsds02 » Tue Jul 05, 2011 10:38 am
If 2(x-3)=2(x/2-1/3), x=?

I have the kaplan online course, and through most explanations of fraction problems, I am finding that they don't use mixed terms in their work.. .i.e. 7x=16/3 as opposed to 7x=5 1/3..

Should I always use non-mixed terms when working with fractions? Any other simple tips that will help?

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by Ian Stewart » Tue Jul 05, 2011 3:03 pm
If you need to do any arithmetic (especially any division or multiplication), you'd always want to use the expression '16/3', and not '5 1/3', unless you're only concerned with getting an estimate. I can't see how you'd easily go about dividing, say, 5 1/3 by 7 1/5, but if you write those fractions as 16/3 and 36/5 it's straightforward enough:

(16/3)/(36/5) = (16/3)*(5/36) = 20/27

You infrequently see mixed fractions on the GMAT, typically only in word problems.
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