Write the number that you want to convert. For example, 1/4 cup that you want to convert to tablespoons. (This would be useful if you didn't have a measuring cup but you did have a tablespoon.)
Look up the conversion factor and change it to fraction form. In this case, the conversion factor is 16, since there are 16 tablespoons in a cup. The number 16 is equal to the fraction 16/1.
Multiply the value from step one times the fractional conversion factor. In this example, you would multiply 1/4 times 16/1. When multiplying fractions, multiply the numerators times each other and the denominators times each other. Therefore, the answer to this multiplication sentence would be 16/4.
Reduce your answer to simplest form if necessary. In this example, you can divide the numerator and denominator of 16/4 by 4 to get the answer 4. Therefore, 1/4 cup equals 4 tablespoons.