What are fractions used for?

Answer 1

To show how much of something you have. Example i have 1/2 a jar of cherries. Its means i have one part of 2 parts of a jar of cherries.

AnswerA fraction is a number that represents part of a whole.

A fraction is written in the form p/q, where q = 0.

A fraction is a way of writing numbers that are not whole numbers.

Example:

Bob has three crayons. He lost one of them in his school. What fraction of the crayons is he left with?

Total number of crayons = 3

Number of crayons lost = 1

Number of crayons left = 3 - 1 = 2

So, Bob has 2/3 of crayons with him.

Source: www.icoachmath.com

A fraction is a way of assesing portion or size. Contrary to popular math opinion, fractions do represent portions such as 1 out of 2 for 1/2, 2 out of 3 for 2/3 etc.

For example take any whole number (no decimal due to probable rounding errors in calculators) and add it twice repeatedly. When you have a circle and divide the circle in half 1/2 is right in the center its a way of saying if you took a whole object (100%) and cut it in half, the 1/2 point would be right in the center.

For example

2+2=4 2 is 1/2 of 4 because 2 is the center part where 4 divides, just like in a pie cut into two parts, 1/2 is right in the center. its also 1/2 because 2 is 1 out of the 2 numbers that add to make 4.

3+3=6 3 is one out of the two numbers that make 6 and 3 is right in the center if you had 6 objects and divided them in half (6 will divide into two even amounts 3+3).

4+4=8 4 is 1 out of the two numbers that make 8

5+5=10 5 is one out of the two numbers that make 10

6+6=12 6 is 1/2 of 12

Fractions mean two things, one a dividing point or splitting apart. There ways of assesing size and portions. Fractions and percents are also directly related.

n/2=50% of a whole number or 1/2 take any whole number and divide by 2 to find 50%

n/3=33% of a whole number take any whole number and divide by 3 to find 1/3 ie 33% of a whole number.

n/4=25% of a whole number ie 1/4 of a number

n/5=20% of a whole number ie 1/5 of a number

N=any whole number (no decimal)

You can also list fractions by simply listing multiples of whole numbers other than 1 for fractions that are ways of saying 1/2 simply list multiples of 2 and their place value on a times table:

1 2 3 4 5 6

2 4 6 8 10 12

and we can see that in multiples of 2 above 1/2,2/4,3/6,5/10.6/12 etc on up the scale lists fractions of 2! The top answer is 1/2 of the bottom always because that number added twice equals 1/2 or 50% of the number below (its one of two evenly added amounts). Multiples of 2 are the numbers that will always divide into 1/2 evenly.

for 1/3 list multiples of 3 and their position lists numbers that the top is 1/3 of the bottom. Multiples of 3 are the numbers that will divide into 1/3 evenly.

Fractions are ways of showing how numbers are multiplied ie repeatedly evenly added just like division is. Thier usefull for building scale models as well.

For showing two thirds of an amount Take a whole number and add it repeatedly 3 times

then show two of the amounts that repeatedly add to make it.

2+2+2=6

4 is 2/3 of 6 because 2+2 is two of the three numbers above that add to make 6

3+3+3=9

6 is 2/3 of 9 because 3+3=6, 3+3 is two of the 3 numbers that repeatedly add to make 9

4+4+4=12

8 is 2/3 of 12 because 4+4 is 2 of the three numbers that make 12

and for 3/4 we take 3 out of 4 repeatedly added numbers to find 3/4 of a number

2/5 is two out of 5 repeatedly added amounts

2+2+2+2+2=10

4 is 2/5 of 5 because 2+2 is two out of 5 numbers that repeadly add to make 10

and you may randomly use this to prove this proof is correct using whole numbers only.

This technique works on all whole numbers and most low yield decimal numbers leading me to believe that calculators are incorrectly rounding off using division because calculators don't understand your just asking whats the closest amount you can repeatedly add to make the number your dividing. You should be repeating

number amounts in my opinion, these should be rounded off and never more than the number your dividing.