You may think that we only use fractions, decimals and percentages in school and that they are useless outside of the classroom. However, fractions are used in many aspects of life and are used almost everyday.
One of the most common ways that fractions and decimals are used is money. A quarter is 1/4 of a dollar, a dime is 1/10 of a dollar, a nickel 1/20 and a penny 1/100. Knowing about fractions and how to compare them makes handling money much easier. Imagine trying to make change without knowing that there are four quarters in one dollar. We also know that money is expressed using decimals. For example, one dollar and fifty cents would be written as $1.50.
Percentages are commonly used on your grades in class. Your tests and assignments are scored as percentage and you all know that the percentages mean something. Getting 100% on a test means that you got all of the questions correct. Scoring on tests can be easily understood by people everywhere based on percentages.
Fractions can be found in more fun parts of everyday life as well. Each time you eat a slice of pizza, you are using fractions. A typical pizza has eight slices, which means that each slice is 1/8 of the pizza.
Now it's your turn to share your thoughts and opinions! Here are some questions to get you thinking:
Can you think of any more examples of fractions, decimals or percentages that we use in everyday
life? How do your parents use these types of numbers in their lives? How do you use fractions in your life? Can fractions be helpful in everyday life? Can they make it more difficult? How so?
Please comment below so we can all share our thoughts! I encourage all of you to comment on the comments of other students as well as responding to my questions.
