Fractions and decimals are two fundamental concepts in mathematics that express parts of a whole. Understanding how to work with fractions and decimals is essential for solving a variety of mathematical problems, particularly in the 11+ exam.
Key Concepts
1. Fractions
A fraction represents a part of a whole and consists of two numbers:
- Numerator: The top part, indicating how many parts we have.
- Denominator: The bottom part, indicating how many equal parts the whole is divided into.
For example, in the fraction \frac{3}{4}, 3 is the numerator and 4 is the denominator.
2. Types of Fractions
- Proper Fractions: The numerator is less than the denominator (e.g., \frac{3}{4}).
- Improper Fractions: The numerator is greater than or equal to the denominator (e.g., \frac{5}{4}).
- Mixed Numbers: A whole number combined with a proper fraction (e.g., 1\frac{1}{4}).
3. Operations with Fractions
- Addition: To add fractions with the same denominator, add the numerators. For different denominators, find a common denominator first.
- Subtraction: Similar to addition, ensure the denominators are the same.
- Multiplication: Multiply the numerators together and the denominators together (e.g., \frac{a}{b} \times \frac{c}{d} = \frac{a \times c}{b \times d}).
- Division: Multiply by the reciprocal of the second fraction (e.g., \frac{a}{b} \div \frac{c}{d} = \frac{a}{b} \times \frac{d}{c}).
4. Decimals
Decimals are another way to represent fractions, particularly those with denominators of 10, 100, etc. The decimal point separates the whole number part from the fractional part.
For example:
- The fraction \frac{1}{10} can be expressed as 0.1 in decimal form.
- The fraction \frac{3}{4} can be expressed as 0.75.
5. Converting Between Fractions and Decimals
To convert a fraction to a decimal, divide the numerator by the denominator. To convert a decimal to a fraction, write the decimal as a fraction with a power of 10 in the denominator and simplify if possible.
Practice Questions on Fractions and Decimals
Easy Level
- What is \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{2}?
- Convert \frac{3}{4} to a decimal.
- What is \frac{2}{5} – \frac{1}{5}?
- If you have 0.25 of a cake, what fraction of the cake is that?
- Add \frac{1}{3} + \frac{1}{3}.
- Convert 0.5 to a fraction.
- What is \frac{1}{4} + \frac{2}{4}?
- Convert \frac{7}{10} to a decimal.
- If you have 0.75 of a pizza, what fraction of the pizza is that?
- What is \frac{3}{8} + \frac{1}{8}?
- Convert 0.2 to a fraction.
- What is \frac{5}{10} as a decimal?
- What is \frac{2}{3} – \frac{1}{3}?
- Convert 0.6 to a fraction.
- If you have 0.125 of a pound, what fraction of a pound is that?
- Add \frac{2}{5} + \frac{1}{5}.
- Convert \frac{4}{10} to a decimal.
- What is \frac{1}{2} – \frac{1}{4}?
- Convert 0.75 to a fraction.
- What is \frac{6}{8} as a decimal?
Medium Level
- What is \frac{3}{5} + \frac{2}{5}?
- Convert \frac{5}{6} to a decimal.
- If a recipe requires \frac{3}{4} of a cup of sugar, how much is that in decimal form?
- What is \frac{3}{10} – \frac{1}{10}?
- Convert 0.2 to a fraction in simplest form.
- What is \frac{7}{8} + \frac{1}{8}?
- If you have 0.3 of a cake, what fraction of the cake is that?
- Add \frac{2}{3} + \frac{1}{3}.
- Convert 0.125 to a fraction.
- What is \frac{4}{5} – \frac{1}{5}?
- Convert 0.4 to a fraction.
- If a drink is 0.5 litres, how many millilitres is that?
- What is \frac{2}{6} in simplest form as a fraction?
- If you have 0.9 of a pizza, what fraction of the pizza is that?
- Convert \frac{9}{10} to a decimal.
- What is \frac{1}{5} + \frac{2}{5}?
- Convert 0.8 to a fraction in simplest form.
- If a piece of chocolate weighs 0.2 kg, what is that in grams?
- What is \frac{1}{2} + \frac{2}{4}?
- Convert \frac{5}{12} to a decimal.
Hard Level
- If a piece of fabric is 2.5 metres long, what is that in centimetres?
- What is \frac{4}{5} + \frac{3}{10}?
- Convert 0.625 to a fraction.
- If a recipe requires \frac{5}{8} of a cup of flour, how much is that in decimal form?
- What is \frac{7}{12} – \frac{1}{3}?
- Convert 1.75 to a fraction.
- If a jar holds 2.2 litres of jam, how many millilitres is that?
- What is \frac{5}{9} + \frac{1}{3}?
- Convert \frac{11}{20} to a decimal.
- If a runner completed 0.9 of a race, what fraction of the race did they complete?
- What is \frac{7}{15} + \frac{1}{5}?
- If you have 0.125 of a cake, what fraction of the cake is that in simplest form?
- Convert \frac{13}{25} to a decimal.
- What is \frac{2}{7} – \frac{1}{14}?
- If a car travels 0.6 of a mile, what is that in fractions?
- What is \frac{3}{4} + \frac{1}{8}?
- Convert 0.03 to a fraction in simplest form.
- If a book is 1.5 kg, what is that in grams?
- What is \frac{5}{16} + \frac{3}{8}?
- Convert \frac{2}{3} to a decimal.
Answers and Explanations
Easy Level
- \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{2} = 1
- \frac{3}{4} = 0.75
- \frac{2}{5} – \frac{1}{5} = \frac{1}{5}
- 0.25 = \frac{1}{4}
- \frac{1}{3} + \frac{1}{3} = \frac{2}{3}
- 0.5 = \frac{1}{2}
- \frac{1}{4} + \frac{2}{4} = \frac{3}{4}
- \frac{7}{10} = 0.7
- 0.75 = \frac{3}{4}
- \frac{3}{8} + \frac{1}{8} = \frac{4}{8} = \frac{1}{2}
- 0.2 = \frac{1}{5}
- \frac{5}{10} = 0.5
- \frac{2}{3} – \frac{1}{3} = \frac{1}{3}
- $$ 0.6 = \frac{3}{5} $
$
- 0.125 = \frac{1}{8}
- \frac{2}{5} + \frac{1}{5} = \frac{3}{5}
- \frac{4}{10} = 0.4
- \frac{1}{2} – \frac{1}{4} = \frac{1}{4}
- 0.75 = \frac{3}{4}
- \frac{6}{8} = 0.75
Medium Level
- \frac{3}{5} + \frac{2}{5} = \frac{5}{5} = 1
- \frac{5}{6} = 0.8333…
- \frac{3}{4} = 0.75
- \frac{3}{10} – \frac{1}{10} = \frac{2}{10} = \frac{1}{5}
- 0.2 = \frac{1}{5}
- \frac{7}{8} + \frac{1}{8} = 1
- 0.3 = \frac{3}{10}
- \frac{2}{3} + \frac{1}{3} = 1
- 0.125 = \frac{1}{8}
- \frac{4}{5} – \frac{1}{5} = \frac{3}{5}
- 0.4 = \frac{2}{5}
- \frac{90}{100} = 0.9
- \frac{3}{4} + \frac{1}{8} = \frac{6}{8} + \frac{1}{8} = \frac{7}{8}
- 0.3 = \frac{3}{10}
- \frac{1}{2} – \frac{1}{4} = \frac{1}{4}
- \frac{5}{9} + \frac{1}{3} = \frac{5}{9} + \frac{3}{9} = \frac{8}{9}
- 0.4 = \frac{2}{5}
- \frac{4}{5} + \frac{1}{5} = 1
- 0.125 = \frac{1}{8}
- \frac{1}{4} = 0.25
Hard Level
- \text{Volume} = 5 \times 3 \times 2 = 30 \text{ m}^3
- 0.5 \text{ litres} = 500 \text{ ml}
- 1.8 \text{ l} = 1800 \text{ ml}
- \text{Area} = 9 \times 6 = 54 \text{ m}^2
- \text{Volume} = 8 \times 4 \times 3 = 96 \text{ cm}^3
- 150 \text{ km} \div 1.5 \text{ hours} = 100 \text{ km/h}
- 5000 \text{ ml} = 5 \text{ litres}
- 300 \text{ g} \text{ for 5 servings} \Rightarrow 300 \div 5 = 60 \text{ g per serving} \Rightarrow 8 \text{ servings} = 480 \text{ g}
- 250 \text{ cm} = 2.5 \text{ m}
- 750 \text{ grams} = 0.75 \text{ kg}
- 1.2 \text{ litres} = 1200 \text{ ml}
- \text{Perimeter} = 2 \times (10 + 4) = 28 \text{ m}
- 300 – 1 = 299 \text{ grams}
- 750 \text{ grams} = 0.75 \text{ kg}
- 3.14 \times 2^2 \times 10 \approx 125.6 \text{ cm}^3
- 150 \text{ cm} = 1.5 \text{ m}
- 10 \text{ m}^2 = 200 \text{ cm}^3
- 25 \text{ grams}
- 5 \text{ kg} = 5000 \text{ grams}
- 150 \text{ grams} = 0.15 \text{ kg}
This set of questions and answers provides a comprehensive overview of fractions and decimals relevant to the 11+ exam, covering various difficulty levels and encouraging students to develop their understanding and problem-solving skills.