My child's teacher sent out questions to prepare for a big math test. He does not understand the questions well and I can't seem to get him to grasp it. I know the answer but could you show some easy methods or something, thank you! By the way, this is NOT graded so you don't have to worry about that :)
Actual questions:
You have to round these 4 fractions/mixed numbers to the nearest 1/2
1. 3 4/5
2. 100 1/3
3. 4 2/3
4. 4 8/9
Please write so my 9 year old son can understand (and my old lady brain!)
Nearest 1/2?
on the first, 4/5 will round to either 2.5/5 or 5/5 :(those are the 1/2 of five). 4/5 is closer to 5/5 than 2.5/5, so 3 4/5 to the nearest 1/2 is 4
100 1/3. you have to round to 1.5/3, or 3/3. 1/3 is closer to 1.5/3, so
100 1/3 rounds to 100 1.5/3, which is 100 1/2
4 2/3 has to round to 4 1.5/3 or 4 3/3 (which is five). Well 2/3 is closer 1.5/3, so 4 2/3 rounds to 4 1/2
finally 4 8/9 will round to 4 4.5/9 or 4 9/9 8/9 is closer to 9/9 , so
it rounds to 4 9/9 or 5
Okay, thank you VERY much. I was afraid I would never get him to understand. I will teach him what you have said.
Sure, I'd be happy to help explain how to round fractions and mixed numbers to the nearest 1/2. Rounding can be a little tricky, but I'll break it down into simple steps that your son (and you!) can easily understand.
Step 1: Identify the whole number part (if any) in the fraction or mixed number.
Let's take the first question as an example: 3 4/5.
In this case, the whole number part is 3.
Step 2: Look at the fractional part and determine which half it is closer to.
In this case, the fractional part is 4/5. To determine which half it is closer to, we need to compare it to 1/2.
Since 4/5 is closer to 1/2 than it is to 1, we can round it down to the nearest 1/2, which is 1/2.
Step 3: Combine the whole number part (if any) and the rounded fractional part.
In this case, we round 3 4/5 down to 3 1/2.
Now let's apply these steps to the rest of the questions:
2. 100 1/3
The whole number part is 100.
The fractional part 1/3 is closer to 1/2.
So we round 100 1/3 up to 100 1/2.
3. 4 2/3
The whole number part is 4.
The fractional part 2/3 is closer to 1.
So we round 4 2/3 up to 5.
4. 4 8/9
The whole number part is 4.
The fractional part 8/9 is closer to 1.
So we round 4 8/9 up to 5.
I hope this explanation helps your son and you understand how to round fractions and mixed numbers to the nearest 1/2. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!