Why do we need to learn about fractions?

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Still on the subject of fractions, why in the decimal, digital age do students still need to learn about fractions? Fractions are an important concept and very useful for discussionsĀ about measurement, probability and data. Although Australia and the U.K. , and almost all other countries in the world, have adopted the metric system, the United States still uses imperial measurements. One example is with drill bits, where there are conversion charts available to convert imperial sizes (increments of 1/64 of anĀ inch) to millimetres.

Prior to learning operations with fractions, students should be able to order fractions, convert between mixed numbers and improper fractions and convert between decimals and fractions. BBC KS3 Bitesize has revision activities and a test about Fractions. If students can find ten fractions between 1/3 and 2/3 , they have a good understanding of the concept of fractions.

This article, “Teaching Fractions with Understanding: Part-whole concept” is based on research by Grace Lopez-Charles – “Assessment of Children’s Understanding of Rational Numbers” – PhD Thesis. It describes several different perspectives that students have and some ways of teaching fractions more effectively.