Math 130

Fall 01

 

Fraction Puzzles

 

Write your answers to these questions on another piece of paper.  Include enough of your reasoning so that you’ll be able to justify your answers at a later date.

 

Fraction Factory Pieces

 

            1) Which piece has larger area, the blue or the red?  How did you decide?  Which has larger area, the blue or the purple? 

            2) Let the black piece represent 1.  What does each of the other pieces represent?

            3) Now let the cream-colored piece represent 10.  What does each of the other pieces represent?  Since the cream-colored piece is the smallest piece, all of the other pieces will represent numbers bigger than 10.  Be careful!  Justify your reasoning.  Look for exact answers, not estimates.

            4) Now let the green piece represent 1/2.  What does the black piece represent?  The red piece?  The orange piece?  The cream piece?  (Challenge:  what does the blue piece represent?)

            5) Let the orange piece represent 1.  What does the blue piece represent?  The yellow piece?

 

Pattern Blocks

            1) Let the yellow hexagon represent 1.  What does the blue rhombus represent?  What does the red trapezoid represent?  The green triangle?

            2) Now four yellow hexagons represent 1.  What does 1 yellow hexagon represent?  What do 3 red trapezoids represent?  Two blue rhombi and a green triangle?  Seven green triangles?  1 green triangle, 1 blue rhombus, 1 red trapezoid, and 1 yellow hexagon?

            3) Now let the red trapezoid represent 3/4.  What represents 1?

            4) Let the blue rhombus represent 4/3.  What does the yellow hexagon represent?  What does the green triangle represent?  Find two different ways to represent 6.

 

Cuisinaire Rods

            1) Let the orange rod represent 1.  What does each of the other rods represent?

            2) Let the purple rod represent 1.  What does each of the other rods represent?

            3) Let the orange rod and the red rod together represent 1 1/2.  What rod or rods represent 3/4?  What rod or rods represent 2 1/2?  What does the white rod represent?  What does the light green rod represent?

            4) Let the brown rod represent 2/3.  What does the purple rod represent?  What represents 1 1/2?   What do 4 dark green rods represent?  What do the black and blue rods together represent?

 

Copyright 2005, Debra K. Borkovitz.  You may copy or edit this material for non-profit, educational use only.

 

               To Commentary               Doc File                       PDF File                      Home