Transcript Document

Dr. Beth McCulloch Vinson
Athens State University
PT3 Grant Funding, Summer 2000
This is
“one whole”
square.
If we divide it in
half we have two
pieces. Each piece
is “one-half” of the
whole.
We write
“one
whole” like
this:
1.0
We write the fraction
“one-half” like this:
1
2
Everything on the
left-hand side of a
number refers to a
whole number.
1.0
whole
parts of
a whole
So when we write “1.0”
we mean “one whole”
and “no parts.”
0.5 0.5
Everything on the
right-hand side of a
number refers to
parts of a whole.
So when we write the
fraction “one-half” as
a decimal number it
looks like this:
0.5
0.5
is the decimal
equivalent of the
fraction
1
2
0.5 0.5
0.5
whole
parts of
a whole
0.5 means that there
are 0 whole numbers
and there are 5 parts of
a whole number.
0.5 0.5
1
1
2
2
Looking at the box above
you can see that
0.5 + 0.5 = 1
or
half + half = whole
Let’s do
fourths
now.
This is
“one whole”
square.
1.0
1
1
4
1
4
1
4
4
This is that same
whole square
divided into
“fourths”.
Fourths are also called
quarters.
1
1
4
1
4
1
4
4
There are
4 quarters in 1 dollar.
There are also
4 quarters (fourths)
in 1 whole.
0.25
0.25
0.25
0.25
That makes it easy
to know the
decimal equivalent
of fourths. It is:
0.25
A Project Developed for
Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use
Technology (PT3)
By Dr. Beth McCulloch Vinson
Athens State University, School of Education
http://www.athens.edu/vinsobm