Meaning of a Fraction

Meaning of a fraction:

Fractions are the method people use to describe pieces of a whole.

	Things that are shredded.   The pieces are a fraction of the whole.
	Things that are divided into pieces have been cut into pieces.  Each piece is a fraction of the whole.
	Things that are listed can be consider part of the list.  They represent only a fractions of a list.

This pages talks about things that are in a list ....  Read the first few problems and answers.   Invent a rule that helps you know how to make fractions out of questions related to lists of things.    Then, do the remaining problems to see if your rule always works.

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List 12 cities in the area. 

Crow's Landing Dos Palos Firebaugh Gustine Hilmar Livingston

Los Banos Madera Mendota Merced Newman Turlock

Question:   What fraction of the city names start with the  letter "L"?    Answer 2/16

Question:   What fraction of the city names start with the  letter "M"?   Answer 3/12

List the states:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Georgia Florida	Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland	Massachusetts Michigan Mississippi Missouri Minnesota Montana Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Hampshire	New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina	South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
What fraction of the state names include an adjective ?   Answer 8/50

 

Question: What fraction of the states are on the Pacific Coast (colored blue)?  Answer 3/50

 

Question: What fraction of the states are on the Gulf (colored blue) ?  Answer 3/50

 

Question: What fraction of the states are not part of the continental United States (colored blue)?  Answer 2/50

 

Check Your Understanding 1

1. What fraction of the states touch the great lakes ?  Answer 4/50

2. What fraction of the states touch Iowa?                  Answer 6/50

3. What fraction of the state names can you match to outlines on the map of the U.S.? Answer That's up to you ..