Operations with
Rational Numbers
Operations with Rational Numbers
Students will be able to:
•Add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers
using the standard algorithm for each operation.
Operations with Rational Numbers
Key Vocabulary:
Rational numbers
Adding
Subtracting
Multiplying
Dividing
Operations with Rational Numbers
Adding and Subtracting Rational Numbers
The rules for adding and subtracting integers and
fractions also apply to adding and subtracting rational
numbers.
Operations with Rational Numbers
• Rules for adding and subtracting rational numbers
✓ When adding numbers with the same signs, add the
absolute value of each number and take the
common sign.
✓ When adding numbers with different signs, subtract
the smaller absolute value from the larger absolute
value and take the sign of the larger absolute value.
Operations with Rational Numbers
• Rules for adding and subtracting rational numbers
✓ To subtract, change to adding the opposite and follow
the rules for adding signed numbers.
✓ To add or subtract fractions, you must have a common
denominator.
✓ To add or subtract decimals, it is very important that you
are adding values together for the same place value,
which means you, must line up the decimal when adding
numbers with decimals.
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 1: Find each sum or difference.
𝟒 𝟏
a. − + =
𝟓 𝟐
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 1: Find each sum or difference.
𝟒 𝟏
a. − + =
𝟓 𝟐
𝟒 𝟏
− + =
𝟓 𝟐
𝟖 𝟓
= − + =
𝟏𝟎 𝟏𝟎
𝟑
=−
𝟏𝟎
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 1: Find each sum or difference.
𝟓 𝟐
a. − =
𝟔 𝟑
92.516 − 12.531
72.5 − 105
7 6
− −
4 7
6 − (−8)
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 1: Find each sum or difference.
𝟐 𝟏
b. 𝟒 − −𝟑 =
𝟑 𝟔
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 1: Find each sum or difference.
𝟐 𝟏
b. 𝟒 − −𝟑 =
𝟑 𝟔
𝟐 𝟏
𝟒 − −𝟑 =
𝟑 𝟔
𝟐 𝟏
= 𝟒 +𝟑 =
𝟑 𝟔
𝟒 𝟏 𝟓
=𝟒 +𝟑 = 𝟕
𝟔 𝟔 𝟔
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 1: Find each sum or difference.
c. 𝟐. 𝟓𝟔 + −𝟑. 𝟐𝟐 − 𝟒. 𝟐 =
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 1: Find each sum or difference.
c. 𝟐. 𝟓𝟔 + −𝟑. 𝟐𝟐 − 𝟒. 𝟐 =
= 𝟐. 𝟓𝟔 − 𝟑. 𝟐𝟐 − 𝟒. 𝟐 =
= −𝟏. 𝟑𝟒 − 𝟒. 𝟐 =
= −𝟒. 𝟖𝟔
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 1: Find each sum or difference.
d. 𝟔. 𝟕𝟖 − −𝟓. 𝟐𝟏 − 𝟐. 𝟏 =
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 1: Find each sum or difference.
d. 𝟔. 𝟕𝟖 − −𝟓. 𝟐𝟏 − 𝟐. 𝟏 =
= 𝟔. 𝟕𝟖 + 𝟓. 𝟐𝟏 − 𝟐. 𝟏 =
= 𝟏𝟏. 𝟗𝟗 − 𝟐. 𝟏 =
= 𝟗. 𝟖𝟗
Operations with Rational Numbers
Multiplication and Division of Rational Numbers
Rules for multiplying rational numbers
If the numbers have the same signs then the product will be
positive.
+ ∗ + = (+)
− ∗ − = (+)
If the numbers have different signs then the product will be
negative.
− ∗ + = −
+ ∗ − = −
Operations with Rational Numbers
Multiplicative Properties:
Multiplicative Identity The product of a number and 1 𝒏∗𝟏=𝒏
Property is the number.
Multiplicative Property of 𝟎 The product of a number and 𝒏∗𝟎= 𝟎
zero is zero.
Multiplicative Inverse The product of a number and its 𝟏
Property reciprocal is one. 𝒏∗ = 𝟏
𝒏
Multiplicative Property of −𝟏 The product of a number and 𝒏 ∗ −𝟏 = −𝒏
negative one is the opposite of
the number.
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 2: Find each product.
𝟑 −𝟓
a. ∗ =
𝟏𝟏 𝟔
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 2: Find each product.
𝟑 −𝟓
a. ∗
𝟏𝟏 𝟔
𝟑 ∗ (−𝟓)
= =
𝟏𝟏 ∗ 𝟔
𝟑 ∗ (−𝟓)
= =
𝟏𝟏 ∗ 𝟑 ∗ 𝟐
−𝟓
=
𝟐𝟐
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 2: Find each product.
𝟑
b. 𝟑 ∗ −𝟏𝟓 =
𝟏𝟎
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 2: Find each product.
𝟑
b. 𝟑 ∗ −𝟏𝟓 =
𝟏𝟎
𝟑𝟑 −𝟏𝟓
= ∗ =
𝟏𝟎 𝟏
𝟑𝟑 ∗ −𝟏𝟓
= =
𝟏𝟎 ∗ 𝟏
𝟑𝟑 ∗ 𝟓 ∗ −𝟑 𝟑𝟑 ∗ −𝟑 (−𝟗𝟗) 𝟏
= = = = −𝟒𝟗
𝟐∗𝟓∗𝟏 𝟐∗𝟏 𝟐 𝟐
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 2: Find each product.
c. 𝟐. 𝟑𝟒 ∗ −𝟎. 𝟐𝟏 =
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 2: Find each product.
c. 𝟐. 𝟑𝟒 ∗ −𝟎. 𝟐𝟏 =
𝟐𝟑𝟒 −𝟐𝟏
= ∗ =
𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝟏𝟎𝟎
𝟐𝟑𝟒 ∗ −𝟐𝟏
= =
𝟏𝟎𝟎 ∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟎
−𝟒, 𝟗𝟏𝟒
= =
𝟏𝟎, 𝟎𝟎𝟎
= −𝟎. 𝟒𝟗𝟏𝟒
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 2: Find each product.
d. −𝟎. 𝟎𝟒 ∗ −𝟏. 𝟔 =
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 2: Find each product.
d. −𝟎. 𝟎𝟒 ∗ −𝟏. 𝟔 =
−𝟒 −𝟏𝟔
= ∗ =
𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝟏𝟎
−𝟒 ∗ −𝟏𝟔
= =
𝟏𝟎𝟎 ∗ 𝟏𝟎
𝟔𝟒
= =
𝟏, 𝟎𝟎𝟎
= 𝟎. 𝟎𝟔𝟒
Operations with Rational Numbers
Rules for dividing rational numbers
If the numbers have the same signs, then the quotient will be positive.
+
+ ÷ + = + 𝒐𝒓 = +
+
−
− ÷ − = + 𝒐𝒓 = +
−
If the numbers have different signs, then the quotient will be negative.
−
− ÷ + = − 𝒐𝒓 = −
+
+
+ ÷ − = − 𝒐𝒓 = −
−
Operations with Rational Numbers
Division is multiplying by the reciprocal.
You only have to use the division rule if at least one of
the numbers is a fraction or if the quotient will not be
an integer.
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 3: Find each quotient.
−𝟐 −𝟐
a. ÷ =
𝟏𝟓 𝟑
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 3: Find each quotient.
−𝟐 −𝟐
a. ÷ =
𝟏𝟓 𝟑
−𝟐 𝟑
= ∗ =
𝟏𝟓 −𝟐
−𝟐 ∗ 𝟑
= =
𝟓 ∗ 𝟑 ∗ −𝟐
𝟏
=
𝟓
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 3: Find each quotient.
𝟒
b. 𝟏 ÷ −𝟓 =
𝟏𝟏
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 3: Find each quotient.
𝟒
b. 𝟏 ÷ −𝟓 =
𝟏𝟏
𝟏𝟓 𝟏
= ∗ =
𝟏𝟏 −𝟓
𝟏𝟓 ∗ 𝟏
= =
𝟏𝟏 ∗ −𝟓
𝟑∗𝟓∗𝟏 𝟑
= =
𝟏𝟏 ∗ −𝟓 −𝟏𝟏
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 3: Find each quotient.
c. −𝟎. 𝟒 ÷ (−𝟓. 𝟐) =
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 3: Find each quotient.
c. −𝟎. 𝟒 ÷ −𝟓. 𝟐 =
−𝟒 −𝟓𝟐
= ÷ =
𝟏𝟎 𝟏𝟎
−𝟒 𝟏𝟎
= ∗ =
𝟏𝟎 −𝟓𝟐
−𝟒 ∗ 𝟏𝟎
= =
𝟏𝟎 ∗ −𝟓𝟐
−𝟒 −𝟒 𝟏
= = =
−𝟓𝟐 −𝟒 ∗ 𝟏𝟑 𝟏𝟑
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 3: Find each quotient.
d. −𝟎. 𝟑𝟔 ÷ 𝟏𝟐 =
Operations with Rational Numbers
Sample Problem 3: Find each quotient.
d. −𝟎. 𝟑𝟔 ÷ 𝟏𝟐 =
−𝟑𝟔 𝟏𝟐
= ÷ =
𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝟏
−𝟑𝟔 𝟏
= ∗ =
𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝟏𝟐
−𝟑 ∗ 𝟏𝟐 ∗ 𝟏 −𝟑
= =
𝟏𝟎𝟎 ∗ 𝟏𝟐 𝟏𝟎𝟎
= −𝟎. 𝟎𝟑