- Explain that a fraction is an equal part of a whole
- Read and write 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 and 3/4
- Find a half, a third and a quarter of a number
Aysel and Murad want to share one pizza fairly. Aysel cuts it into 2 equal pieces: each of them gets one half. When Mum and Dad join them, they cut it into 4 equal pieces: everyone gets one quarter. Welcome to the world of fractions!
Equal parts
A fraction shows a part of a whole that has been cut into equal parts. A pizza, an apple, a chocolate bar, even an hour or a manat can be the whole.
| Fraction | We say | The whole is cut into |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | one half | 2 |
| 1/3 | one third | 3 |
| 1/4 | one quarter | 4 |
| 3/4 | three quarters | 4 |
The bottom number, the denominator, tells how many equal parts the whole is cut into. The top number, the numerator, tells how many parts we take. In 3/4 the whole is cut into 4 parts and we take 3.
Which is bigger: 1/2 or 1/4 of the same pizza? And where does 1/3 fit?
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The more pieces there are, the smaller each piece is.
So 1/2 > 1/4, and 1/3 is in between: 1/2 > 1/3 > 1/4.
A fraction of a number
To find half of a number, divide it by 2; to find a third, divide by 3; to find a quarter, divide by 4. For example, half of 10 is 10 ÷ 2 = 5.
Leyla has 12 sweets. She gives a quarter of them to her brother. How many sweets does her brother get? How many does Leyla have left?
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Her brother gets 3 sweets.
Leyla has 12 − 3 = 9 sweets left: that is three quarters of the sweets.
a) How many minutes are there in half an hour?
b) How many minutes are there in a quarter of an hour?
c) How many qapiks are there in half a manat?
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b) 60 ÷ 4 = 15 minutes: that is why 4:15 is called “quarter past 4”.
c) 1 manat = 100 qapiks, 100 ÷ 2 = 50 qapiks.
Let's practise
- 1.10 ÷ 2 =
- 2.12 ÷ 3 =
- 3.16 ÷ 4 =
- 4.1/2 = /4
- 5.1/4 + 1/4 = /4
- 6.1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 =
- 7.60 ÷ 4 =
- 8.1/2 1/3
- 9.1/4 1/3
Key points
- A fraction is a part of a whole that is cut into equal parts.
- 1/2 is a half, 1/3 is a third and 1/4 is a quarter.
- The denominator shows how many parts there are; the numerator shows how many we take.
- For a half divide by 2, for a third divide by 3, for a quarter divide by 4.
- The more parts, the smaller each piece: 1/2 > 1/3 > 1/4.
Check yourself
10 questions. Every correct answer earns XP.