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Definition

Reciprocal

The reciprocal of a fraction ab\frac{a}{b} is obtained by swapping its numerator and denominator, yielding ba\frac{b}{a}. A number and its reciprocal always multiply to 11: abba=1\frac{a}{b} \cdot \frac{b}{a} = 1. The reciprocal of a number is also called its multiplicative inverse, because multiplying a quantity by its reciprocal "undoes" the multiplication, returning the result to 11 — much as the additive inverse undoes addition by returning a sum to 00.

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Updated 2026-05-02

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