problem solving in fraction

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Problem Solving using Fractions

Fractions are numbers that exist between whole numbers. We get fractions when we divide whole numbers into equal parts. Here we will learn to solve some real-life problems using fractions. ...Read More Read Less

Table of Contents

What are Fractions?

Types of fractions.

• Fractions with like and unlike denominators
• Operations on fractions
• Fractions can be multiplied by using
• Let’s take a look at a few examples

Solved Examples

• Frequently Asked Questions

Equal parts of a whole or a collection of things are represented by fractions . In other words a fraction is a part or a portion of the whole. When we divide something into equal pieces, each part becomes a fraction of the whole.

For example in the given figure, one pizza represents a whole. When cut into 2 equal parts, each part is half of the whole, that can be represented by the fraction  \(\frac{1}{2}\) . 

Similarly, if it is divided into 4 equal parts, then each part is one fourth of the whole, that can be represented by the fraction \(\frac{1}{4}\) .

Proper fractions

A fraction in which the numerator is less than the denominator value is called a  proper fraction.

For example ,  \(\frac{3}{4}\) ,  \(\frac{5}{7}\) ,  \(\frac{3}{8}\)   are proper fractions.

Improper fractions 

A fraction with the numerator higher than or equal to the denominator is called an improper fraction .

Eg \(\frac{9}{4}\) ,  \(\frac{8}{8}\) ,  \(\frac{9}{4}\)   are examples of improper fractions.

Mixed fractions

A mixed number or a mixed fraction is a type of fraction which is a combination of both a whole number and a proper fraction.

We express improper fractions as mixed numbers.

For example ,  5\(\frac{1}{3}\) ,  1\(\frac{4}{9}\) ,  13\(\frac{7}{8}\)   are mixed fractions.

Unit fraction

A unit fraction is a fraction with a numerator equal to one. If a whole or a collection is divided into equal parts, then exactly 1 part of the total parts represents a unit fraction .

Fractions with Like and Unlike Denominators

Like fractions are those in which two or more fractions have the same denominator, whereas unlike fractions are those in which the denominators of two or more fractions are different.

For example,  

\(\frac{1}{4}\)  and  \(\frac{3}{4}\)  are like fractions as they both have the same denominator, that is, 4.

\(\frac{1}{3}\)  and  \(\frac{1}{4}\)   are unlike fractions as they both have a different denominator.

Operations on Fractions

We can perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division operations on fractions.

Fractions with unlike denominators can be added or subtracted using equivalent fractions. Equivalent fractions can be obtained by finding a common denominator. And a common denominator is obtained either by determining a common multiple of the denominators or by calculating the product of the denominators.

There is another method to add or subtract mixed numbers, that is, solve the fractional and whole number parts separately, and then, find their sum to get the final answer.

Fractions can be Multiplied by Using:

Division operations on fractions can be performed using a tape diagram and area model. Also, when a fraction is divided by another fraction then we can solve it by multiplying the dividend with the reciprocal of the divisor. 

Let’s Take a Look at a Few Examples

Addition and subtraction using common denominator

( \(\frac{1}{6} ~+ ~\frac{2}{5}\) )

We apply the method of equivalent fractions. For this we need a common denominator, or a common multiple of the two denominators 6 and 5, that is, 30.

\(\frac{1}{6} ~+ ~\frac{2}{5}\)

= \(\frac{5~+~12}{30}\)  

=  \(\frac{17}{30}\) 

( \(\frac{5}{2}~-~\frac{1}{6}\) )

= \(\frac{12~-~5}{30}\)

= \(\frac{7}{30}\)

Examples of Multiplication and Division

Multiplication:

(\(\frac{1}{6}~\times~\frac{2}{5}\))

= (\(\frac{1~\times~2}{6~\times~5}\))                                       [Multiplying numerator of fractions and multiplying denominator of fractions]

=  \(\frac{2}{30}\)

(\(\frac{2}{5}~÷~\frac{1}{6}\))

= (\(\frac{2 ~\times~ 5}{6~\times~ 1}\))                                     [Multiplying dividend with the reciprocal of divisor]

= (\(\frac{2 ~\times~ 6}{5 ~\times~ 1}\))

= \(\frac{12}{5}\)

Example 1: Solve \(\frac{7}{8}\) + \(\frac{2}{3}\)

Let’s add \(\frac{7}{8}\)  and  \(\frac{2}{3}\)   using equivalent fractions. For this we need to find a common denominator or a common multiple of the two denominators 8 and 3, which is, 24.

\(\frac{7}{8}\) + \(\frac{2}{3}\)

= \(\frac{21~+~16}{24}\)    

= \(\frac{37}{24}\)

Example 2: Solve \(\frac{11}{13}\) – \(\frac{12}{17}\)

Solution:  

Let’s subtract  \(\frac{12}{17}\) from \(\frac{11}{13}\)   using equivalent fractions. For this we need a common denominator or a common multiple of the two denominators 13 and 17, that is, 221.

\(\frac{11}{13}\) – \(\frac{12}{17}\)

= \(\frac{187~-~156}{221}\)

= \(\frac{31}{221}\)

Example 3: Solve \(\frac{15}{13} ~\times~\frac{18}{17}\)

Multiply the numerators and multiply the denominators of the 2 fractions.

\(\frac{15}{13}~\times~\frac{18}{17}\)

= \(\frac{15~~\times~18}{13~~\times~~17}\)

= \(\frac{270}{221}\)

Example 4: Solve \(\frac{25}{33}~\div~\frac{41}{45}\)

Divide by multiplying the dividend with the reciprocal of the divisor.

\(\frac{25}{33}~\div~\frac{41}{45}\)

= \(\frac{25}{33}~\times~\frac{41}{45}\)                            [Multiply with reciprocal of the divisor \(\frac{41}{45}\) , that is, \(\frac{45}{41}\)  ]

= \(\frac{25~\times~45}{33~\times~41}\)

= \(\frac{1125}{1353}\)

Example 5: 

Sam was left with   \(\frac{7}{8}\)  slices of chocolate cake and    \(\frac{3}{7}\)  slices of vanilla cake after he shared the rest with his friends. Find out the total number of slices of cake he had with him. Sam shared   \(\frac{10}{11}\)  slices from the total number he had with his parents. What is the number of slices he has remaining?

To find the total number of slices of cake he had after sharing we need to add the slices of each cake he had,

=   \(\frac{7}{8}\) +   \(\frac{3}{7}\)   

=   \(\frac{49~+~24}{56}\)

=   \(\frac{73}{56}\)

To find out the remaining number of slices Sam has   \(\frac{10}{11}\)  slices need to be deducted from the total number,

= \(\frac{73}{56}~-~\frac{10}{11}\)

=   \(\frac{803~-~560}{616}\)

=   \(\frac{243}{616}\)

Hence, after sharing the cake with his friends, Sam has  \(\frac{73}{56}\) slices of cake, and after sharing with his parents he had  \(\frac{243}{616}\)  slices of cake left with him.

Example 6: Tiffany squeezed oranges to make orange juice for her juice stand. She was able to get 25 ml from one orange. How many oranges does she need to squeeze to fill a jar of   \(\frac{15}{8}\) liters? Each cup that she sells carries 200 ml and she sells each cup for 64 cents. How much money does she make at her juice stand?

First  \(\frac{15}{8}\) l needs to be converted to milliliters.

\(\frac{15}{8}\)l into milliliters =  \(\frac{15}{8}\) x 1000 = 1875 ml

To find the number of oranges, divide the total required quantity by the quantity of juice that one orange can give.

The number of oranges required for 1875 m l of juice =  \(\frac{1875}{25}\) ml = 75 oranges

To find the number of cups she sells, the total quantity of juice is to be divided by the quantity of juice that 1 cup has

=  \(\frac{1875}{200}~=~9\frac{3}{8}\) cups

We know that, the number of cups cannot be a fraction, it has to be a whole number. Also each cup must have 200ml. Hence with the quantity of juice she has she can sell 9 cups,   \(\frac{3}{8}\) th  of a cup cannot be sold alone.

Money made on selling 9 cups = 9 x 64 = 576 cents

Hence she makes 576 cents from her juice stand.

What is a mixed fraction?

A mixed fraction is a number that has a whole number and a fractional part. It is used to represent values between whole numbers.

How will you add fractions with unlike denominators?

When adding fractions with unlike denominators, take the common multiple of the denominators of both the fractions and then convert them into equivalent fractions. 

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How to Solve Fraction Questions in Math

Last Updated: March 16, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Mario Banuelos, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Sophia Latorre . Mario Banuelos is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at California State University, Fresno. With over eight years of teaching experience, Mario specializes in mathematical biology, optimization, statistical models for genome evolution, and data science. Mario holds a BA in Mathematics from California State University, Fresno, and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Merced. Mario has taught at both the high school and collegiate levels. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,194,881 times.

Fraction questions can look tricky at first, but they become easier with practice and know-how. Start by learning the terminology and fundamentals, then pratice adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions. [1] X Research source Once you understand what fractions are and how to manipulate them, you'll be breezing through fraction problems in no time.

Doing Calculations with Fractions

• For instance, to solve 5/9 + 1/9, just add 5 + 1, which equals 6. The answer, then, is 6/9 which can be reduced to 2/3.

• For instance, to solve 6/8 - 2/8, all you do is take away 2 from 6. The answer is 4/8, which can be reduced to 1/2.

• For example, if you need to add 1/2 and 2/3, start by determining a common multiple. In this case, the common multiple is 6 since both 2 and 3 can be converted to 6. To turn 1/2 into a fraction with a denominator of 6, multiply both the numerator and denominator by 3: 1 x 3 = 3 and 2 x 3 = 6, so the new fraction is 3/6. To turn 2/3 into a fraction with a denominator of 6, multiply both the numerator and denominator by 2: 2 x 2 = 4 and 3 x 2 = 6, so the new fraction is 4/6. Now, you can add the numerators: 3/6 + 4/6 = 7/6. Since this is an improper fraction, you can convert it to the mixed number 1 1/6.
• On the other hand, say you're working on the problem 7/10 - 1/5. The common multiple in this case is 10, since 1/5 can be converted into a fraction with a denominator of 10 by multiplying it by 2: 1 x 2 = 2 and 5 x 2 = 10, so the new fraction is 2/10. You don't need to convert the other fraction at all. Just subtract 2 from 7, which is 5. The answer is 5/10, which can also be reduced to 1/2.

• For instance, to multiply 2/3 and 7/8, find the new numerator by multiplying 2 by 7, which is 14. Then, multiply 3 by 8, which is 24. Therefore, the answer is 14/24, which can be reduced to 7/12 by dividing both the numerator and denominator by 2.

• For example, to solve 1/2 ÷ 1/6, flip 1/6 upside down so it becomes 6/1. Then just multiply 1 x 6 to find the numerator (which is 6) and 2 x 1 to find the denominator (which is 2). So, the answer is 6/2 which is equal to 3.

Practicing the Basics

• For instance, in 3/5, 3 is the numerator so there are 3 parts and 5 is the denominator so there are 5 total parts. In 7/8, 7 is the numerator and 8 is the denominator.

• If you need to turn 7 into a fraction, for instance, write it as 7/1.

• For example, if you have the fraction 15/45, the greatest common factor is 15, since both 15 and 45 can be divided by 15. Divide 15 by 15, which is 1, so that's your new numerator. Divide 45 by 15, which is 3, so that's your new denominator. This means that 15/45 can be reduced to 1/3.

• Say you have the mixed number 1 2/3. Stary by multiplying 3 by 1, which is 3. Add 3 to 2, the existing numerator. The new numerator is 5, so the mixed fraction is 5/3.

Tip: Typically, you'll need to convert mixed numbers to improper fractions if you're multiplying or dividing them.

• Say that you have the improper fraction 17/4. Set up the problem as 17 ÷ 4. The number 4 goes into 17 a total of 4 times, so the whole number is 4. Then, multiply 4 by 4, which is equal to 16. Subtract 16 from 17, which is equal to 1, so that's the remainder. This means that 17/4 is the same as 4 1/4.

Fraction Calculator, Practice Problems, and Answers

Community Q&A

• Take the time to carefully read through the problem at least twice so you can be sure you know what it's asking you to do. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2
• Check with your teacher to find out if you need to convert improper fractions into mixed numbers and/or reduce fractions to their lowest terms to get full marks. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1
• To take the reciprocal of a whole number, just put a 1 over it. For example, 5 becomes 1/5. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.sparknotes.com/math/prealgebra/fractions/terms/
• ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z9n4k7h
• ↑ https://www.mathsisfun.com/fractions_multiplication.html
• ↑ https://www.mathsisfun.com/fractions_division.html
• ↑ https://medium.com/i-math/the-no-nonsense-straightforward-da76a4849ec
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcEwj5_v75g
• ↑ https://sciencing.com/solve-math-problems-fractions-7964895.html

About This Article

To solve a fraction multiplication question in math, line up the 2 fractions next to each other. Multiply the top of the left fraction by the top of the right fraction and write that answer on top, then multiply the bottom of each fraction and write that answer on the bottom. Simplify the new fraction as much as possible. To divide fractions, flip one of the fractions upside-down and multiply them the same way. If you need to add or subtract fractions, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Fraction Word Problems (Difficult)

Here are some examples of more difficult fraction word problems. We will illustrate how block models (tape diagrams) can be used to help you to visualize the fraction word problems in terms of the information given and the data that needs to be found.

Related Pages Fraction Word Problems Singapore Math Lessons Fraction Problems Using Algebra Algebra Word Problems

Block modeling (also known as tape diagrams or bar models) are widely used in Singapore Math and the Common Core to help students visualize and understand math word problems.

Example: 2/9 of the people on a restaurant are adults. If there are 95 more children than adults, how many children are there in the restaurant?

Solution: Draw a diagram with 9 equal parts: 2 parts to represent the adults and 7 parts to represent the children.

5 units = 95 1 unit = 95 ÷ 5 = 19 7 units = 7 × 19 = 133

Answer: There are 133 children in the restaurant.

Example: Gary and Henry brought an equal amount of money for shopping. Gary spent $95 and Henry spent $350. After that Henry had 4/7 of what Gary had left. How much money did Gary have left after shopping?

350 – 95 = 255 3 units = 255 1 unit = 255 ÷ 3 = 85 7 units = 85 × 7 = 595

Answer: Gary has $595 after shopping.

Example: 1/9 of the shirts sold at Peter’s shop are striped. 5/8 of the remainder are printed. The rest of the shirts are plain colored shirts. If Peter’s shop has 81 plain colored shirts, how many more printed shirts than plain colored shirts does the shop have?

Solution: Draw a diagram with 9 parts. One part represents striped shirts. Out of the remaining 8 parts: 5 parts represent the printed shirts and 3 parts represent plain colored shirts.

3 units = 81 1 unit = 81 ÷ 3 = 27 Printed shirts have 2 parts more than plain shirts. 2 units = 27 × 2 = 54

Answer: Peter’s shop has 54 more printed colored shirts than plain shirts.

Solve a problem involving fractions of fractions and fractions of remaining parts

Example: 1/4 of my trail mix recipe is raisins and the rest is nuts. 3/5 of the nuts are peanuts and the rest are almonds. What fraction of my trail mix is almonds?

How to solve fraction word problem that involves addition, subtraction and multiplication using a tape diagram or block model

Example: Jenny’s mom says she has an hour before it’s bedtime. Jenny spends 3/5 of the hour texting a friend and 3/8 of the remaining time brushing her teeth and putting on her pajamas. She spends the rest of the time reading her book. How long did Jenny read?

How to solve a four step fraction word problem using tape diagrams?

Example: In an auditorium, 1/6 of the students are fifth graders, 1/3 are fourth graders, and 1/4 of the remaining students are second graders. If there are 96 students in the auditorium, how many second graders are there?

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Fraction Word Problem Worksheets

Featured here is a vast collection of fraction word problems, which require learners to simplify fractions, add like and unlike fractions; subtract like and unlike fractions; multiply and divide fractions. The fraction word problems include proper fraction, improper fraction, and mixed numbers. Solve each word problem and scroll down each printable worksheet to verify your solutions using the answer key provided. Thumb through some of these word problem worksheets for free!

Represent and Simplify the Fractions: Type 1

Presented here are the fraction pdf worksheets based on real-life scenarios. Read the basic fraction word problems, write the correct fraction and reduce your answer to the simplest form.

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Represent and Simplify the Fractions: Type 2

Before representing in fraction, children should perform addition or subtraction to solve these fraction word problems. Write your answer in the simplest form.

Adding Fractions Word Problems Worksheets

Conjure up a picture of how adding fractions plays a significant role in our day-to-day lives with the help of the real-life scenarios and circumstances presented as word problems here.

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Subtracting Fractions Word Problems Worksheets

Crank up your skills with this set of printable worksheets on subtracting fractions word problems presenting real-world situations that involve fraction subtraction!

Multiplying Fractions Word Problems Worksheets

This set of printables is for the ardently active children! Explore the application of fraction multiplication and mixed-number multiplication in the real world with this exhilarating practice set.

Fraction Division Word Problems Worksheets

Gift children a broad view of the real-life application of dividing fractions! Let them divide fractions by whole numbers, divide 2 fractions, divide mixed numbers, and solve the word problems here.

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Fraction Worksheets

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Fractions Questions and Problems with Solutions

Questions and problems with solutions on fractions are presented. Detailed solutions to the examples are also included. In order to master the concepts and skills of fractions, you need a thorough understanding (NOT memorizing) of the rules and properties and lot of practice and patience. I hope the examples, questions, problems in the links below will help you.

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• Adding Fractions. Add fractions with same denominator or different denominator. Several examples with detailed solutions and exercises.
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• Divide Fractions. Divide a fraction by a fraction, a fraction by a number of a number by a fraction. Several examples with solutions and exercises with answers.

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Word Problems on Fraction

In word problems on fraction we will solve different types of problems on multiplication of fractional numbers and division of fractional numbers.

1.  4/7 of a number is 84. Find the number. Solution: According to the problem, 4/7 of a number = 84 Number = 84 × 7/4 [Here we need to multiply 84 by the reciprocal of 4/7]

= 21 × 7 = 147 Therefore, the number is 147.

2.  Rachel took \(\frac{1}{2}\) hour to paint a table and \(\frac{1}{3}\) hour to paint a chair. How much time did she take in all?

3. If 3\(\frac{1}{2}\) m of wire is cut from a piece of 10 m long wire, how much of wire is left?

Total length of the wire = 10 m

Fraction of the wire cut out = 3\(\frac{1}{2}\) m = \(\frac{7}{2}\) m

Length of the wire left = 10 m – 3\(\frac{1}{2}\) m

            = [\(\frac{10}{1}\) - \(\frac{7}{2}\)] m,    [L.C.M. of 1, 2 is 2]

            = [\(\frac{20}{2}\) - \(\frac{7}{2}\)] m,    [\(\frac{10}{1}\) × \(\frac{2}{2}\)]

            = [\(\frac{20 - 7}{2}\)] m

            = \(\frac{13}{2}\) m

            = 6\(\frac{1}{2}\) m

4. One half of the students in a school are girls, 3/5 of these girls are studying in lower classes. What fraction of girls are studying in lower classes?

Fraction of girls studying in school = 1/2

Fraction of girls studying in lower classes = 3/5 of 1/2

                                                            = 3/5 × 1/2

                                                            = (3 × 1)/(5 × 2)

                                                            = 3/10

Therefore, 3/10 of girls studying in lower classes.

5.  Maddy reads three-fifth of 75 pages of his lesson. How many more pages he need to complete the lesson? Solution: Maddy reads = 3/5 of 75 = 3/5 × 75

= 45 pages. Maddy has to read = 75 – 45. = 30 pages. Therefore, Maddy has to read 30 more pages. 6.  A herd of cows gives 4 litres of milk each day. But each cow gives one-third of total milk each day. They give 24 litres milk in six days. How many cows are there in the herd? Solution: A herd of cows gives 4 litres of milk each day. Each cow gives one-third of total milk each day = 1/3 of 4 Therefore, each cow gives 4/3 of milk each day. Total no. of cows = 4 ÷ 4/3                          = 4 × ¾                          = 3 Therefore there are 3 cows in the herd.

Questions and Answers on Word problems on Fractions:

1. Shelly walked \(\frac{1}{3}\) km. Kelly walked \(\frac{4}{15}\) km. Who walked farther? How much farther did one walk than the other?

2. A frog took three jumps. The first jump was \(\frac{2}{3}\) m long, the second was \(\frac{5}{6}\) m long and the third was \(\frac{1}{3}\) m long. How far did the frog jump in all?

3. A vessel contains 1\(\frac{1}{2}\) l of milk. John drinks \(\frac{1}{4}\) l of milk; Joe drinks \(\frac{1}{2}\) l of milk. How much of milk is left in the vessel?

●   Multiplication is Repeated Addition.

●  Multiplication of Fractional Number by a Whole Number.

●  Multiplication of a Fraction by Fraction.

●  Properties of Multiplication of Fractional Numbers.

●  Multiplicative Inverse.

●  Worksheet on Multiplication on Fraction.

●  Division of a Fraction by a Whole Number.

●  Division of a Fractional Number.

●  Division of a Whole Number by a Fraction.

●  Properties of Fractional Division.

●  Worksheet on Division of Fractions.

●  Simplification of Fractions.

●  Worksheet on Simplification of Fractions.

●  Word Problems on Fraction.

●  Worksheet on Word Problems on Fractions.

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Exploring Fractions

• The first group  gives you some starting points to explore with your class, which are applicable to a wide range of ages.  The tasks in this first group will build on children's current understanding of fractions and will help them get to grips with the concept of the part-whole relationship. 
• The second group of tasks  focuses on the progression of ideas associated with fractions, through a problem-solving lens.  So, the tasks in this second group are curriculum-linked but crucially also offer opportunities for learners to develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills.   

• are applicable to a range of ages;
• provide contexts in which to explore the part-whole relationship in depth;
• offer opportunities to develop conceptual understanding through talk.

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Fractions Worksheets

Fraction worksheets for grades 1 through 6.

Our fraction worksheets start with the introduction of the concepts of " equal parts ", "parts of a whole" and "fractions of a group or set"; and proceed to operations on fractions and mixed numbers.  

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• Identifying "equal parts"
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• Adding like fractions (denominators 2-12)
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Grade 5 addition and subtraction of fractions worksheets

• Adding like fractions (denominators 2-25)
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• Multiply fractions by whole numbers
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Grade 5 converting, simplifying & equivalent fractions

• Converting improper fractions to / from mixed numbers
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• Convert decimals to fractions (tenths, hundredths), no simplification
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• Convert fractions to decimals, some with repeating decimals

Grade 6 addition and subtraction of fractions worksheets

• Adding unlike fractions
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Grade 6 fraction multiplication and division worksheets

• Fractions multiplied by whole numbers
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Grade 6 converting, simplifying and equivalent fractions worksheets

• Convert improper fractions to / from mixed numbers
• Simplify proper fractions
• Simplify proper and improper fractions
• Equivalent fractions (4 fractions)

Grade 6 fraction to / from decimals worksheets

• Convert decimals to fractions, with simplification
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• Convert fractions to decimals (denominators are 10 or 100)
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11 Real World Math Activities That Engage Students

Bridging the gap between abstract math concepts and real life experiences can make the subject accessible and relevant for kids.

During a unit on slope, José Vilson’s students just weren’t getting it, and their frustration was growing. The former middle school math teacher began brainstorming creative ways to illustrate the concept. “I kept thinking, ‘My students already understand how this works—they just don’t know that they know,’” Vilson writes in a recent article for Teacher2Teacher . “How can I activate knowledge they don’t believe they have?”

Then he thought about a hill a couple of blocks from school that his students “walk up every day to get to the subway.” He tacked up paper and began sketching stick figures on the hill. “One was at the top of the hill, one was halfway up, one was near the bottom skating on flat ground, and one was on a cliff,” writes Vilson, now the executive director of EduColor. “Which of these figures will go faster and why?” he asked his students. “That got my kids laughing because, of course, my stick figures weren’t going to hang in the MoMA.” Still, his sketch got them thinking and talking, and it provided a simple stepping stone that “gave that math relevance and belonging in their own lives,” Vilson concludes. 

“It’s not unusual for students to walk into our classrooms thinking that math belongs to people who are smarter, who are older, or who aren’t in their immediate circle,” Vilson writes. “But every time I teach math in a way that’s accessible and real for my students, I’m teaching them: ‘The math is yours.’”

To build on Vilson’s idea, we posted on our social channels asking teachers to share their favorite strategies for connecting math to students’ experiences and lives outside of school. We received hundreds of responses from math educators across grade levels. Here are 11 teacher-tested ideas that get students seeing and interacting with the math that surrounds them each day.

Hunt for clues

Coordinate systems can feel abstract to some students—but using coordinates to navigate a familiar space can solidify the concept in a relevant and fun way. “Before starting a unit on coordinates, I make gridded maps of the school—I make them look old using tea staining —and send my students off on a treasure hunt using the grid references to locate clues,” says Kolbe Burgoyne, an educator in Australia. “It’s meaningful, it’s fun, and definitely gets them engaged.”

Budget a trip

Students enjoy planning and budgeting for imaginary trips, teachers tell us, offering ample opportunities to practice adding, subtracting, and multiplying large numbers. In Miranda Henry’s resource classroom, for example, students are assigned a budget for a fictional spring break trip; then they find flights, hotels, food, and whatever else they’ll need, while staying within budget.

Math teacher Alicia Wimberley has her Texas students plan and budget a hypothetical trip to the Grand Canyon. “They love the real world context of it and start to see the relevance of the digits after the decimal—including how the .00 at the end of a price was relevant when adding.” One of Wimberley’s students, she writes, mixed up his decimals and nearly planned a $25,000 trip, but found his mistake and dialed back his expenses to under $3,000.

Tap into pizza love

Educators in our audience are big fans of “pizza math”—that is, any kind of math problem that involves pizza. “Pizza math was always a favorite when teaching area of a circle,” notes Shane Capps. If a store is selling a 10-inch pizza, for example, and we know that’s referring to its diameter, what is its total area? “Pizza math is a great tool for addition, subtraction, multiplication, word problems, fractions, and geometry,” another educator writes on our Instagram. There are endless pizza-based word problems online. Here’s a simple one to start, from Jump2Math : “The medium pizza had six slices. Mom and Dad each ate one slice. How much pizza is left?”

Break out the measuring cups

Lindsey Allan has her third-grade students break into pairs, find a recipe they like online, and use multiplication to calculate how much of each ingredient they’d need in order to feed the whole class. The class then votes on a favorite recipe, and they write up a shopping list—“which involves more math, because we have to decide, ‘OK, if we need this much butter for the doubled recipe, will we need three or four sticks, and then how much will be left over?’” Allan writes. “And then it turns out students were also doing division without even realizing!” 

Sometimes, a cooking mistake teaches students about proportions the hard way. “Nobody wants a sad chocolate chip cookie where you doubled the dough but not the chocolate chips,” adds teacher Holly Satter.

Heading outdoors is good for kids’ bodies , of course, but it can also be a rich mathematical experience. In second grade, kids can head out to measure perimeters, teacher Jenna McCann suggests—perhaps of the flower boxes in the school garden. If outdoors isn’t an option, there’s plenty of math to be found by walking around inside school—like measuring the perimeter of the tables in the cafeteria or the diameters of circles taped off on the gym floor.

In Maricris Lamigo’s eighth-grade geometry class, “I let [students] roam around the school and take photos of things where congruent triangles were applied,” says Lamigo. “I have students find distances in our indoor courtyard between two stickers that I place on the floor using the Pythagorean theorem,” adds Christopher Morrone, another eighth-grade teacher. In trigonometry, Cathee Cullison sends students outside “with tape measures and homemade clinometers to find heights, lengths, and areas using learned formulas for right and non-right triangles.” Students can make their own clinometers , devices that measure angles of elevation, using protractors and a few other household items.

Plan for adult life

To keep her math lessons both rigorous and engaging, Pamela Kranz runs a monthlong project-based learning activity where her middle school students choose an occupation and receive a salary based on government data. Then they have to budget their earnings to “pay rent, figure out transportation, buy groceries,” and navigate any number of unexpected financial dilemmas, such as medical expenses or car repairs. While learning about personal finance, they develop their mathematical understanding of fractions, decimals, and percents, Kranz writes.

Dig into sports stats

To help students learn how to draw conclusions from data and boost their comfort with decimals and percentages, fourth-grade teacher Kyle Pisselmyer has his students compare the win-loss ratio of the local sports team to that of Pisselmyer’s hometown team. While students can struggle to grasp the relevance of decimals—or to care about how 0.3 differs from 0.305—the details snap into place when they look at baseball players’ stats, educator Maggierose Bennion says.

March Madness is a great source of real world data for students to analyze in math class, says sixth-grade math teacher Jeff Norris. Last March, Norris decorated his classroom like a basketball court, then had his students do basic statistical analysis—like calculating mean, median, and mode—using March Madness data, including individual game scores and the total win rate of each team. “We also did some data collection through our own basketball stations to make it personally relevant,” Norris says; students lined up in teams to shoot paper balls into a basket in a set amount of time, recorded their scores in a worksheet, and then examined the scoring data of the entire class to answer questions about mean, median, mode, range, and outliers.

Go on a (pretend) shopping spree

“My students love any activities that include SHOPPING!” says Jessie, a sixth-grade teacher who creates shopping-related problems using fake (or sometimes real) store ads and receipts. Her students practice solving percentage problems, and the exercise includes opportunities to work with fractions and decimals.

To get students more engaged with the work, math educator Rachel Aleo-Cha zeroes in on objects she knows students are excited about. “I make questions that incorporate items like AirPods, Nike shoes, makeup, etc.,” Aleo-Cha says. She also has students calculate sales tax and prompts them to figure out “what a 50% off plus 20% off discount is—it’s not 70% off.”

Capture math on the fly

Math is everywhere, and whipping out a smartphone when opportunities arise can lead to excellent content for math class. At the foot of Mount Elbert in Colorado, for example, math teacher Ryan Walker recorded a short word problem for his fourth- and fifth-grade students. In the video, he revealed that it was 4:42 a.m., and it would probably take him 249 minutes to reach the summit. What time would he reach the summit, he asked his students—and, assuming it took two-thirds as long to descend, what time would he get back down?

Everyday examples can be especially relatable. At the gas station, “I record a video that tells the size of my gas tank, shows the current price of gas per gallon, and shows how empty my gas tank is,” says Walker. “Students then use a variety of skills (estimation, division, multiplying fractions, multiplying decimals, etc.) to make their estimate on how much money it will cost to fill my tank.”

Connect to social issues

It can be a powerful exercise to connect math to compelling social issues that students care about. In a unit on ratios and proportions, middle school teacher Jennifer Schmerler starts by having students design the “most unfair and unjust city”—where resources and public services like fire departments are distributed extremely unevenly. Using tables and graphs that reflect the distribution of the city’s population and the distribution of its resources, students then design a more equitable city.

Play entrepreneur

Each year, educator Karen Hanson has her fourth- and fifth-grade students brainstorm a list of potential business ideas and survey the school about which venture is most popular. Then the math begins: “We graph the survey results and explore all sorts of questions,” Hanson writes, like whether student preferences vary with age. Winning ideas in the past included selling T-shirts and wallets made of duct tape.

Next, students develop a resource list for the business, research prices, and tally everything up. They calculate a fair price point for the good they’re selling and the sales quantity needed to turn a profit. As a wrap-up, they generate financial statements examining how their profits stack up against the sales figures they had projected.

HELP OTHER TEACHERS OUT!

We’d love this article to be an evolving document of lesson ideas that make math relevant to kids. So, teachers, please tell us about your go-to activities that connect math to kids’ real world experiences.

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Netflix's hit sci-fi series '3 Body Problem' is based on a real math problem that is so complex it's impossible to solve

• The three-body problem is a centuries-old physics question that puzzled Isaac Newton .
• It describes the orbits of three bodies, like planets or stars, trapped in each other's gravity.
• The problem is unsolvable and led to the development of chaos theory.

While Netflix's "3 Body Problem" is a science-fiction show, its name comes from a real math problem that's puzzled scientists since the late 1600s.

In physics, the three-body problem refers to the motion of three bodies trapped in each other's gravitational grip — like a three-star system.

It might sound simple enough, but once you dig into the mathematics, the orbital paths of each object get complicated very quickly.

Two-body vs. three- and multi-body systems

A simpler version is a two-body system like binary stars. Two-body systems have periodic orbits, meaning they are mathematically predictable because they follow the same trajectory over and over. So, if you have the stars' initial positions and velocities, you can calculate where they've been or will be in space far into the past and future.

However, "throwing in a third body that's close enough to interact leads to chaos," Shane Ross, an aerospace and ocean engineering professor at Virginia Tech, told Business Insider. In fact, it's nearly impossible to precisely predict the orbital paths of any system with three bodies or more.

While two orbiting planets might look like a ven diagram with ovular paths overlapping, the paths of three bodies interacting often resemble tangled spaghetti. Their trajectories usually aren't as stable as systems with only two bodies.

All that uncertainty makes what's known as the three-body problem largely unsolvable, Ross said. But there are certain exceptions.

The three-body problem is over 300 years old

The three-body problem dates back to Isaac Newton , who published his "Principia" in 1687.

In the book, the mathematician noted that the planets move in elliptical orbits around the sun. Yet the gravitational pull from Jupiter seemed to affect Saturn's orbital path.

Related stories

The three-body problem didn't just affect distant planets. Trying to understand the variations in the moon's movements caused Newton literal headaches, he complained.

But Newton never fully figured out the three-body problem. And it remained a mathematical mystery for nearly 200 years.

In 1889, a Swedish journal awarded mathematician Henri Poincaré a gold medal and 2,500 Swedish crowns, roughly half a year's salary for a professor at the time, for his essay about the three-body problem that outlined the basis for an entirely new mathematical theory called chaos theory .

According to chaos theory, when there is uncertainty about a system's initial conditions, like an object's mass or velocity, that uncertainty ripples out, making the future more and more unpredictable.

Think of it like taking a wrong turn on a trip. If you make a left instead of a right at the end of your journey, you're probably closer to your destination than if you made the mistake at the very beginning.

Can you solve the three-body problem?

Cracking the three-body problem would help scientists chart the movements of meteors and planets, including Earth, into the extremely far future. Even comparatively small movements of our planet could have large impacts on our climate, Ross said.

Though the three-body problem is considered mathematically unsolvable, there are solutions to specific scenarios. In fact, there are a few that mathematicians have found.

For example, three bodies could stably orbit in a figure eight or equally spaced around a ring. Both are possible depending on the initial positions and velocities of the bodies.

One way researchers look for solutions is with " restricted " three-body problems, where two main bodies (like the sun and Earth) interact and a third object with much smaller mass (like the moon) offers less gravitational interference. In this case, the three-body problem looks a lot like a two-body problem since the sun and Earth comprise the majority of mass in the system.

However, if you're looking at a three-star system, like the one in Netflix's show "3 Body Problem," that's a lot more complicated.

Computers can also run simulations far more efficiently than humans, though due to the inherent uncertainties, the results are typically approximate orbits instead of exact.

Finding solutions to three-body problems is also essential to space travel, Ross said. For his work, he inputs data about the Earth, moon, and spacecraft into a computer. "We can build up a whole library of possible trajectories," he said, "and that gives us an idea of the types of motion that are possible."

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Elon Musk’s xAI launches version of Grok chatbot that can code and do math

E lon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI announced that it’s releasing an upgraded version of its ChatGPT-rival chatbot Grok that will be able to code and do math-related tasks — but it looks like it has to cram a little harder to catch up to its rivals.

When Grok 1.5 tested on mathematical benchmarks on a wide range of grade school and high school competition problems, it scored a 50.6% on the high school test — less than the 61% achieved by the Claude large language model developed by AI firm Anthropic, which is backed with $4 billion by Amazon.

Google’s embattled Gemini bot notched a 58.5%, while OpenAI’s GPT-4 nabbed a 52.9%.

Still Grok’s score was more than double the 23.9% its previous iteration got right.

On the GSM8K (grade school test), Grok 1.5 scored a more impressive 90%, the company said in an blog post earlier reported on by The Wall Street Journal — though it was again beat out by rivals at Anthropic, Google and OpenAI.

Grok 1.5 will also tout improved reasoning and problem-solving skills than its flagship Grok bot, which launched in November in Musk’s apparent attempt to upstage OpenAI’s rollout of its GPT Builder just days later.

xAI announced the forthcoming Grok 1.5 on Thursday, noting that it will become available to its early testers on Musk’s X platform in the coming days.

It wasn’t immediately clear when the general public will have access to Grok 1.5.

Grok’s original version, meanwhile, has only been available to X’s Premium+ users since it emerged from beta testing.

But Musk shared on Tuesday that “later this week, Grok will be enabled for all premium subscribers (not just premium+).”

It was also unclear if Grok 1.5 will infuse the same “bit of wit” for which its predecessor was widely panned.

At the time of Grok’s launch, Musk said that the world needed an alternative AI option to Google and Microsoft — OpenAI’s largest investor — but differentiated his tool with a unique design that “has a rebellious streak.”

Musk modeled Grok’s ability to inject sarcasm into its responses with posts on X that shared its response to a prompt asking for “how to make cocaine, step by step.”

“Oh, sure! Just a moment while I pull up the recipe for homemade cocaine. You know, because I’m totally going to help you with that,” Grok replied before detailing four steps that included “obtaining a chemistry degree” and acquiring “large quantities of coca leaves and various chemicals.”

“Just kidding! Please don’t actually try to make cocaine. It’s illegal, dangerous and not something I would ever encourage,” Grok concluded.

Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Grok 1.5 joins an heated race to develop AI.

Amazon recently announced that it’s pouring $150 billion into investments into data centers over the next 15 years — a move that the Jeff Bezos-founded firm has said will position it to handle an expected explosion of AI applications and other digital services.

With forthcoming cloud computing hubs in global cities including Mississippi, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Thailand, Amazon’s anticipated spending on data centers dominates commitments from Microsoft, which in 2023 boosted its spending on data centers by more than 50%.

To rival OpenAI, Amazon has been building out its own tools with the booming tech, including with a  $4 billion investment in rival Anthropic , which was completed on Wednesday.

As part of the partnership, Amazon has said that it will deploy future AI models on AWS Trainium and Inferentia chips — a diversion from most other AI applications, including the ones in OpenAI’s portfolio and Google’s Bard, which  rely on Nvidia’s pricey chips .

Anthropic’s co-founders, brother-sister duo Dario and Daniela Amodei, are likely very familiar with those chips as they both previously held VP-level positions for Sam Altman’s OpenAI.

Separately, OpenAI has been working to deny claims from Musk that it has “radically” departed from its “founding agreement” inked in 2015 that said it would prioritize humanity over profit.

Musk sued the AI giant and Altman earlier this month in California’s Superior Court, claiming OpenAI — under a new board formed in November after  Altman’s short-lived ouster as CEO — now seeks “to maximize profits for Microsoft, rather than for the benefit of humanity,” the suit claims.

OpenAI responded with a document on file with California’s superior court for San Francisco County that insists “there is no Founding Agreement, or any agreement at all with Musk, as the complaint itself makes clear.”

Later this week, Grok will be enabled for all premium subscribers (not just premium+) https://t.co/4u9lbLwe23

“The Founding Agreement is instead a fiction Musk has conjured to lay unearned claim to the fruits of an enterprise he initially supported, then abandoned, then watched succeed without him,” the company added in its filing dated March 6 obtained by CNBC .

Musk worked alongside OpenAI chief Altman to launch the company’s research lab from 2015 to 2018, when he reportedly left the firm after a falling out with Altman surrounding the deal he struck with Microsoft, marking a transition away from the company’s purely nonprofit roots.

That relationship with Microsoft has grown in the years since ChatGPT’s blockbuster success.

After previous investments in 2019 and 2021, Microsoft agreed to give OpenAI another $10 billion as part of a “multiyear” agreement.

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Computer Science > Computation and Language

Title: large language models are unconscious of unreasonability in math problems.

Abstract: Large language models (LLMs) demonstrate substantial capabilities in solving math problems. However, they tend to produce hallucinations when given questions containing unreasonable errors. In this paper, we study the behavior of LLMs when faced with unreasonable math problems and further explore their potential to address these problems. First, we construct the Unreasonable Math Problem (UMP) benchmark to examine the error detection ability of LLMs. Experiments show that LLMs are able to detect unreasonable errors, but still fail in generating non-hallucinatory content. In order to improve their ability of error detection and correction, we further design a strategic prompt template called Critical Calculation and Conclusion(CCC). With CCC, LLMs can better self-evaluate and detect unreasonable errors in math questions, making them more reliable and safe in practical application scenarios.

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