How We Use Fractions Everyday
How we use fractions everyday and don 't even realize it
(Math worksheets center) If you walk down the aisles of your local mall you probably would get a third of the way there without coming in contact into a fraction in some way. After all, that walk down the aisle is a fraction: 1/3. Yes, we use fractions in one way or another in everyday life even though we may not completely realize it. For example, you use fractions every time you look at a clock. Yes, we know that quart past (1/4), half past (1/2) and quarter till (� 's past) are fractions. In fact, all time telling is a fraction of x/60 with the exception of when it is time on the hour as it then becomes a whole number (60/60 = 1) For example, 36 minutes past the hour is 3/5 's.This concept of looking at a clock is applicable to everything. Any value of anything that is not a whole number is a fraction! After all, that is what a fraction is�.a part of a whole. And there are parts of a whole everywhere! If you don 't believe this, then try baking a cake without using fractions. If it were not for fractions something as simple as baking a cake would be impossible. When you put 2 eggs into the cake mix you are using 1/6 of a dozen. In fact, every ingredient in a cake recipe is a fraction of something: a cup of milk, a teaspoon of salt, a stick of butter, a half a cup of chocolate chips. Can you imagine the result of baking a cake mixing an entire salt shaker, a gallon of milk, a pound of butter, a dozen eggs and an entire bag of chocolate chips? You would either have a really poor tasting cake or you would have a cake the size of the refrigerator! It is interesting to note that even those students who do very well on tests that feature fractions seem to very poorly on understanding how fractions work in everyday life. This is not because they do not grasp the concept of fractions but because they are somewhat disconnected between the way fractions make the transition from the classroom and into practical
(Math worksheets center) If you walk down the aisles of your local mall you probably would get a third of the way there without coming in contact into a fraction in some way. After all, that walk down the aisle is a fraction: 1/3. Yes, we use fractions in one way or another in everyday life even though we may not completely realize it. For example, you use fractions every time you look at a clock. Yes, we know that quart past (1/4), half past (1/2) and quarter till (� 's past) are fractions. In fact, all time telling is a fraction of x/60 with the exception of when it is time on the hour as it then becomes a whole number (60/60 = 1) For example, 36 minutes past the hour is 3/5 's.This concept of looking at a clock is applicable to everything. Any value of anything that is not a whole number is a fraction! After all, that is what a fraction is�.a part of a whole. And there are parts of a whole everywhere! If you don 't believe this, then try baking a cake without using fractions. If it were not for fractions something as simple as baking a cake would be impossible. When you put 2 eggs into the cake mix you are using 1/6 of a dozen. In fact, every ingredient in a cake recipe is a fraction of something: a cup of milk, a teaspoon of salt, a stick of butter, a half a cup of chocolate chips. Can you imagine the result of baking a cake mixing an entire salt shaker, a gallon of milk, a pound of butter, a dozen eggs and an entire bag of chocolate chips? You would either have a really poor tasting cake or you would have a cake the size of the refrigerator! It is interesting to note that even those students who do very well on tests that feature fractions seem to very poorly on understanding how fractions work in everyday life. This is not because they do not grasp the concept of fractions but because they are somewhat disconnected between the way fractions make the transition from the classroom and into practical
References: Carpenter, T. P., T. G. Coburn, R. E. Kays, and J. W. Wilson (1975). Results and implications of the NAEP mathematics assessment: secondary school. Mathematics Teacher, 68, 453-470. Summary by Maria Ong