Fractions – 1
THE CHALLENGE
Use the numbers 1 to 9 at most once each to fill in the boxes. Can you find more than one solution?
Notes
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THE CHALLENGE
To help limit the search, notice that improper fractions can’t be used – the rightmost fraction has a value less than 1. Note that 5’s can’t possibly work anywhere as they would require a 0 or a second 5.
Look for solutions by running through pairs of denominators that would create the two equal single-digit fractions. There are X’s next to the ones that don’t work out.
- 4 & 8: 1/4 = 2/8 X; 2/4 = 4/8 X; 3/4 = 6/8 = 9/12
- 2 & 8: 1/2 = 4/8 X
- 6 & 8: 3/6 = 4/8 X
- 3 & 6: 1/3 = 2/6 X; 2/3 = 4/6 X
- 4 & 6: 2/4 = 3/6 = 9/18
To summarize, there are a total of two solutions:
3/4 = 6/8 = 9/12
2/4 = 3/6 = 9/18