Today, while waiting for my Jimmy John's sandwich and jumbo kosher dill pickle, the guy behind the counter asked me if I would like my pickle cut in halves or fourths. This was an easy decision for me because obviously a pickle that big would still be too big if it were cut in half, so fourths it was. This may seem like a random and irrelevant event to share with you, my fellow blog readers, however the more I thought about it the more applicable it became. Fractions are all around and we really use them pretty frequently. When we measure out ingredients, check the levels of fluid levels in our cars, read the clock hanging on the wall, or even order our favorite quarter pounder with cheese, we are using fractions.But if fractions are all around, how come I am still not good at them?! You may be asking yourself the same question. (Maybe you're not and you're a super genius and don't have this question but just play along for a little bit.) My response to that question is that we may be better than we think we are when with dealing with fractions. I really hadn't realized how much I use fractions in everyday life until I was asked about my pickle today. Fractions are everywhere!
In math fractions are taken to a whole other level though, instead of more simply recognizing and interpreting fractions we are asked to add, subtract, multiple and divide fractions with all sorts of different characteristics like proper, improper and mixed types of fractions. Below is a list of "fraction rules" that I found on Bright Hub, a website that provides information and resources to help set its viewers in the right direction. I suggest checking out the link to get even more information of fractions.
Fraction Rules (directly from brighthub.com):
- If the numerator remains the same for all fractions but the denominator gets larger, the actual value of the fraction gets smaller. This fraction rule is because of the fact that if the denominator increases then the whole is divided into more parts. Imagine your favorite cookie. You have to share it with your sister. Would you want 1/2 of the cookie or would you want 1/10 of the cookie? You want 1/2 of course because it's going to be a bigger piece!
- When adding or subtracting fractions, the denominator must be the same for both fractions in order to perform the operation. This rule makes sense because you cannot add fractions from different groups. For instance, you cannot add 1/2 and 1/4 because they represent different groups.
- When adding or subtracting fractions, the denominator remains the same while the actual mathematical operation is performed on the numerator. You are working with parts of the whole. Therefore the whole doesn't change, only the parts do. So 2/4 added to 1/4 would equal 3/4. See how the numerator changed but the denominator didn't?
- Since the denominators have to be the same in order to perform addition and subtraction, you sometimes have to change the fraction. The only way to add numbers like 1/4 and 1/2 is to make the denominators the same. To do so, you need to multiply 1/2 by 2/2. When you change fractions, you must do to the top what you do to the bottom. You aren't actually changing the value of the fraction, just the way it is written. 1/2 will become 2/4 when multiplied by 2/2.
- When multiplying fractions, numerators multiply with numerators and denominators multiply with denominators. For example, 2/4 times 3/1 would mean 2 times 3 and 1 times 4. Your answer would be 6/4.
- Fractions can be used as division problems. 2/4 means 2 divided by 4. The top number (numerator) is always divided by the bottom number (denominator)
Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/education/homework-tips/articles/33759.aspx#ixzz1T34orXjF
Hopefully this helps and go ahead and think about fractions more often! They are all around us.
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