"Five out of four people have trouble with fractions." -Steven Wright
If the abovementioned statistic is true, more people struggle with fractions than the amount of people who understand fractions. The truth is for most intermediate phase students, fractions are too hard to grasp.
When fractions get introduced to primary school students, math becomes one of the hardest subjects at school. The sooner you make sense of complicated topics like fractions, the better.
While it is far easier to choose to excel at subjects like English, Social Science, and Arts, there is something special about excelling at mathematics. If you start understanding how important fractions are in real life, you will realise why fractions are included in the mathematics curriculum.
So how will you make calculating fractions easier?
The Role of Fractions in Real Life
"You better cut the pizza in four pieces, because I'm not hungry enough to eat six." Yogi Berra
Solving fractions can be complicated. Parents and their children can spend hours on end trying to work through a fraction-related math exercise. The best way that your parents can explain fractions to you is by using practical examples of fractions in a similar way as they are used in real life. If you start to see how we can use fractions every day, it becomes easier to understand fractions.
So how do we use fractions in real life?
- Fractions are used in recipes: Have you noticed three quarter cups of milk being asked for in a pancake recipe? Perhaps half a cup of flour got your attention. Almost every recipe calls for the use of fractions.
- Fractions as used in time: In half an hours time, the mathematics period would be over. Whenever we tell time, we use fractions. Quarter past and half past are all fractions.
- Fractions as used in sales: One of the best times to shop is during sales. When the price tag says twenty five percent off or fifty percent off, you need to calculate how much you will actually be paying. Did you know that fifty percent off means that you will be paying half the price for the garment?
- Fractions as used when sharing a packet of sweets between friends: One packet of twenty five sweets need to be shared between five friends. Knowing how much each friend will get entails using fractions.
So you see, we do actually make use of fractions every day. If you start to understand where in life you use fractions, you will be more willing to learn everything included in the topic of fractions.
The next time your mum or dad is struggling to teach you how to work out equivalent fractions, ask them to take you into the kitchen. Using real ingredients will help you understand that two fourths is equivalent to to a half. The next time you are struggling with knowing how many slices each of your three friends will get from a large 12 slice pizza, buy a 12 slice pizza and share it evenly among your three friends.
Using concrete objects that you can divide between people will help you to understand the idea of fractions better.
If you are still finding it difficult to understand fractions (even with your parents' help) call on one of our Superprof tutors to guide you.
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Talking About Lowest Common Multiple (LCM)
"The one common denominator of all successful people is their hunger to push through fears." Tony Robbins
If you fear fractions, you rather not. Fractions will be around for years to come. Rather push through your fears, and try to simplify everything related to fractions as best as possible.
Other aspects that will be around always is that of lowest common multiple. It refers to a value that is evenly divisible by two numbers.
When you are trying to add or subtract unlike fractions, LCM becomes most important. You need to find the lowest common multiple between the two denominators.
To identify the lowest common multiple between numbers, you need to know your timetables. If you know your timetables well, it is much easier to find a number that can be divisible by both numbers in the denominator. If you are shaking your head unsure of what the denominator is, try to think again.
The first step to understanding fractions better is to know what the numerator is and what the denominator is. In the following article we teach you ways to grasp timetables.
The sooner that you start working through your fears of fractions, the better.
Converting Fractions to Decimals
Fractions can also be converted into decimals. If you need to convert five eights into a decimal, you will surely be able to convert this fraction into a decimal using a calculator.
You can also change fractions into decimals by using long division.
Did you know that the word, "decimal," means based on 10. Now that you understand what decimal means, you can understand that every decimal number has a decimal point in it. So when you think of a decimal number, you need to think of a whole number plus tenths, and hundredths, or thousandths.
There is no reason to try and understand mathematics on your own when a great tutor can be helpful in assisting you to make sense of fractions and decimal numbers. Reach out to a Superprof tutor today so that you can get help trying to understand more about fractions.
Knowing Your Numerator From Your Denominator
You know the idiom, "Curiosity killed the cat." Well, in maths there is no such thing as being too curious. You need to find out all the ways that you can solve fraction-related problems. If you are considering becoming better at tackling fractions, you need to familiarise yourself with important bits of information regarding fractions.
A fraction can be learnt by analysing its components:
- The Numerator: The number above the division line is called the numerator. If the top part of the fraction is smaller than the number at the bottom part of the fraction, it is called a proper fraction.
- The Denominator: The denominator refers to the bottom number under the division line and the denominator refers to the whole part of the fraction.
- Look at the relationship between the numerator and denominator: If the top fraction is bigger than the bottom fraction, we call this an improper fraction. An improper fraction can also be converted into a mixed number.
- Start thinking about how you can use fractions in real life: You need to think about how you would use fractions in real life and that will make you understand the importance of knowing all about fractions and how to tackle sums that contain fractions.
Start to Picture
When you are introduced to fractions in primary school, start by drawing fractions. If you are told to shade three out of eight pieces, actually draw a chocolate bar with eight pieces. Thereafter shade in three of those eight pieces.
You can even trace a circle and cut the circle into four pieces. Then create eight pieces from the four pieces. Play around with the idea of fractions until you get it right.
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Further Fraction Tricks
While you are introduced to fractions in primary school, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is any easier to understand fractions. If you don't grasp fractions in primary school, you won't be able to grasp fractions at a high school level.
If you find the section of fractions too difficult to understand on your own, reach out to a Superprof tutor who will guide you and make understanding fractions easier for you.
If you want a further trick, try this:
- Memorise Decimal Equivalents and Fractional Equivalents: In math, there are some things that you can memorise in order to make your life easier. Decimal equivalents and fractional equivalents are beneficial to memorise.
Perhaps if you start working at understanding fractions now, it won't be so difficult to tackle fraction related problems later on in your life. You can become a boss at solving problems that entail fractions if you start familiarising yourself with a fractional wall.
If you ended up being introduced to some technical mathematics terms today, it would be lowest common multiple, proper fraction, improper fraction, and mixed number.
It's time to record the definitions of the terms given so that you will always remember them. Part of your math learning journey entails remembering what certain mathematical concepts mean. The more you show interest in math, the better off you are.
If you are apprehensive of taking this math learning journey on your own, you can always rely on one of our Superprof tutors to guide you on this math learning journey. Also, keep in mind that the best learning happens when you are having fun. So make fractions fun and you will learn fractions better.
Share a chocolate with some friends as that surely will be one great way to make learning about fractions more fun!
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