i just need help with this equation

(5)/(12)w=-8

i am wondering if i do the reciprocal and then divide it by 5?
thank you!

If you mean (5/12)w = -8

then yes. Multiply both sides by the reciprocal of 5/12 = 12/5

5/12 * 12/5 w = -8 * 12/5
w = -96/5

ohh yeah i got that the first time but then i divided it and got a decimal and i second guessed myself

but thank you!

To solve the equation (5/12)w = -8, you need to isolate the variable w.

To get rid of the fraction (5/12), you can multiply both sides of the equation by the reciprocal of (5/12), which is (12/5). This will cancel out the fraction and leave you with:

w = (-8) x (12/5)

To multiply -8 by (12/5), you can first multiply the numerators (top numbers) together to get -96. Then, multiply the denominators (bottom numbers) together to get 5.

w = -96/5

So, the solution to the equation is w = -96/5.

Therefore, your initial intuition of multiplying by the reciprocal and then simplifying was correct.