FRACTIONS ARE NUMBERS
DAVID MEREDITH
1
(1) Draw a picture of a pizza. Draw a picture of of the pizza.
4
1
3
How many ’s are there in ?
4
4
1
2
7
(2) Draw a picture of of a pizza.
of a pizza.
of a pizza.
5
5
5
3
of the pizza.
4
13
of a pizza.
5
(3) Can you divide a square into four equal pieces? 5 equal pieces?
1
’s are there in 2? Draw a picture with pizzas.
4
1
3
(5) How many ’s are there in ? Draw a picture using pizza’s.
4
2
1 3 1 3 5 11 23 15
(6) On the ruler find the points 0, 1, 2, 4, , , , , ,
,
,
.
4 4 8 8 4 8
8
4
(4) How many
(7) Some of the fractions in the previous question can be written as mixed frac11
11
= 1 38 . Use the ruler to show why
= 1 38 . Where
tions. For example
8
8
possible, use the ruler to turn the fractions in the previous question into
mixed fractions.
(8) Use pizzas to show why
(9) Is there a mark for
11
= 1 38 .
8
1
on the printed ruler?
3
1
(10) How many ’s are there in 1? In 2? In 10? Draw two pictures to explain
3
your answer, one with pizzas and one with a ruler. Since the printed ruler
1
doesn’t include ’s, you will have to draw your own ruler.
3
(11) What is the smallest positive fraction represented on the top ruler? The
bottom ruler?
Date: October 26, 2010.
1
2
DAVID MEREDITH
3
9
9
3
’s are there in ? Find
on your ruler. Now count off ’s
4
2
2
4
9
starting at 0 until you get to .
2
1
3
1
How many ’s are there in (this is not hard)? How many ’s are there
8
8
8
3
7
in ? In ?
4
4
1
1
Find a mark on the ruler for ?. How many ’s are there in 1?
5
5
1
1
Which is bigger: or ? You can see which is bigger on the ruler, but can
5
4
you give a reason why one is larger than the other based on the number of
1
1
’s and ’s in 1?
5
4
5
6
5
6
or . If you write
and
as mixed fractions, does
Which is bigger:
5
4
5
4
that help answer the comparison question?
(12) How many
(13)
(14)
(15)
(16)
(17) If n > m, which is larger:
1
1
or ? How do you know?
n
m
Department of Mathematics
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA 94132
E-mail address: [email protected]
URL: http://online.sfsu.edu/~meredith