Why are fractions so confusing to me? Specifically division of

>Why are fractions so confusing
Because division is not associative.

(a/b)/c != a/(b/c)

>>8563500
Specifically,

(a/b)/c = a/(bc)
a/(b/c) = (ac)/b

>>8563448
>Why are fractions so confusing to me? Specifically division of fractions.
Perhaps try writing everything in exponent form and it will make more sense.

i.e. 2/(1/2) = 2^1 / 2^-1 = 2^(1-(-1)) = 2^(1+1) = 2^2 = 4

>>8563448
Is pic related bait? There's no way to solve this problem. Mushrooms are not of equal weight, so you couldn't possible know how many make up 1/4 of a lb except by weighing them

>>8563545
Lol. You're supposed to assume they are obviously.

>>8563508
this actually helped..

>>8563545
If 3/4lb of mushrooms is 30 mushrooms how many mushrooms does it take to make 1lb?

Answer is totally solvable

>>8563580
well, it's an extremely close approximation. the sample size is 30 shrooms so it's a pretty accurate median mass, but it won't be exact (if we assume they all aren't identical)

>>8563545
Oh silly you. Technically they don't weigh exactly the same but in practice close enough.

division is like subtraction in that it isn't really an "operation" in itself; a*b is defined as a*(b^-1), just like a-b = a+(-b), whereas you actually have to come up with how + or * functions

with that in consideration, (a/b) / (c/d) = (a/b) * (c/d)^-1; the multiplicative inverse of c/d is d/c as cd^-1dc^-1 = cc^-1 = 1, so (a/b) / (c/d) = (a/b) * (d/c)

>>8563508
this is the patricians mindset

>>8563586
Thank god the recipe didn't call for 1.000 lb of mushrooms. Presumably because it doesn't fucking matter.