Fraction Computation: Lesson 2

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Introduction

Students should consider the “improper” fractions that might have been in Samantha’s list in order to respond to this Headline Story.

Headline Story

Samantha made a list of “improper” fractions that, when rewritten as mixed numbers, were all between 3 and 4, and had a fractional part with a numerator of 1. What can you say about the improper fractions on her list?

Possible student responses

We can list mixed numbers like 3 $\frac{1}{2}$ , 3 $\frac{1}{3}$ , 3 $\frac{1}{4}$ , 3 $\frac{1}{5}$ , 3 $\frac{1}{6}$ , and so on, and figure out the improper fractions from that list.
The numerators of the improper fractions are 7, 10, 13, 16, and keep skipping by 3.
If the denominator of the improper fraction is odd, then its numerator is even.
If the denominator of the improper fraction is even, then its numerator is odd.

Headline Story

Fraction Computation, #2

Introduction

Headline Story

Possible student responses