TOUCH BUTTON TO

PAGE TWO of TWO 

GROUPS

 THIS SECTION IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

A fraction is one or more items that are separated into pieces or groups.

Fractions can tell us how many items we have in total, and how many in that group are different from the other items in that same group.

On Fractions Page One, we saw fractions are not always circles.

In our chart below, we are counting the sections that have color in them.

The top fraction number will be the total of the sections in color.

The bottom fraction number will be the total of all the sections.

The fraction number for the pink sections in the top bar graph below is 4/5 or four-fifths.

The green box is 5/8. Five-eighths.

What are the fractions for the other two shapes?

Orange: 1/4

Purple: 3/6

A fraction is not only to count parts of one item.

Fractions can be used to count individual items in a group of items.

We have four friends.
 Three (3) of our friends have brown hair.
 One (1) friend has red hair.
 The fractions for this would be:
 

   Three BROWN hair friends of all four friends: 3/4
   One  RED  hair friend of all our four friends:  1/4
   Total number of friends with any hair color:  4/4

Our last example of groups is our collection of toy cars and trucks.

Let us say we have four (4) toy cars and two (2) toy trucks.
We have six (6) total items

(4 + 2 = 6).
 
Written as fractions, we have:
4/6 toy cars, and
2/6 toy trucks.

6/6 total of all.

Fractions can be made from any shape or number of objects.

But not all things are circles or squares.

On Recess Express, we have made fractions from different shapes and groups.

All our fractions have been the same size pieces.

While all shapes can be broken into pieces, the pieces may not all be the same size.

It would be hard to break a picture of a cloud into same size peices.

Circles and Squares are symmetrical. Said out loud: SYM sounds like Jim but with "S"im) SYM - eh - try- call

In other words, one side is the same as the other.

If you can draw a line down the center of something and get two similar halves, it's symmetrical. symm et ri cal

Shapes like squares and circles are symmetrical.

An example is a pizza. If you fold the pizza over in half, the top will fit exactly over the bottom so now you have a thick half pizza. The two halves (now top and bottom) are symmetrical - each is exactly the same size and shape as the other piece. 

Let us say you have a sheet of paper. You fold the paper in half at the middle. The one sheet of paper is now two equal rectangle pieces (four straight edges). When the pieces are all equal in size, they are symmetrical. 

It would be hard to make even sections of a cloud.

Regular fractions (symmetrical) will all be the same size in an object.

This is the end of our Fractions section on Recess Express.

EXCEPT for one little note:

This involves some division. If you have not worked with division in school, you can wait to come back here after your teacher or tutor explains division to you.

Division is kind of like the opposite of Multiplication (Times) in math.

The symbol for division can be  ÷  or √   or / in your school textbooks.

      or:

      8 divided by 2 is 4

OK, now let us get back to our fraction numbers.

Even though the fraction numbers  4/6  and  2/6  from the above car and truck group are correct, you might not say, or write, the fraction number as 4/6 or 2/6.
Usually, it is easier for people to understand smaller numbers.

Once your teacher explains division to you, you will see how 2/6 is the same as 1/3. And 4/6 is the same as 2/3.

If you do know about division, then below we show you how 2/6 is the same as 1/3:

If you can divide the top number evenly into itself and the bottom number evenly with that top number also, many people will use that smaller fraction number.
With our 2/6 fraction number for our toy trucks above, we can divide both the top number by itself and its bottom number evenly.
 
2 divided by 2 = 1. ( 2 ÷ 2 = 1 )
6 divided by 2 = 3. ( 6 ÷ 2 = 3 )
   2/6 = 1/3.

2/6 and 1/3 equal the same amount in fractions.
And 1/3 is often easier to see, understand, and remember.

Using division again for our toy cars:  4/6 is 2/3. 

ONE MORE EXAMPLE:  2/8 IS THE SAME AS 1/4

2 divided by 2 = 1.  ( 2 ÷ 2 = 1 )
8 divided by 2 = 4.  ( 8 ÷ 2 = 4 )
   2/8 = 1/4.
 

 Thank you for visiting with us.

   Math is cool.

   You can always count on it.

    Really!

    RecessExpress.com