That Figures!: A Crash Course in Math
5/5
()
About this ebook
Danielle S. Hammelef
Danielle Hammelef is the author of more than 12 books for children. She has also written award-winning children’s magazine stories, nonfiction articles, poetry, and puzzles. Before becoming a freelance writer, Danielle earned a degree in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Danielle lives in Novi, Michigan, with her family.
Read more from Danielle S. Hammelef
Theseus and the Minotaur Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Case of the Ad That Subtracts and Other True Math Mysteries for You to Solve Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFirst Source to Soccer: Rules, Equipment, and Key Playing Tips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A Graphic Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Top Soccer Tips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBehind-the-Scenes Pro Sports Careers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBehind-the-Scenes Movie Careers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to That Figures!
Related ebooks
Number Theory and System for Fourth Graders Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCatch Up With Your Kid in Middle School Math in a Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaster Maths: Fractions (add - x divide) HCF, LCM, Rounding Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPatterns for Fourth Graders Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPuzzles for Adults: 50 Brain Teasers with Step-by-Step Solutions: Boost Your Power of Problem Solving Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrimary School ‘KS1 (Key Stage 1) - Maths – Times Table Practice – Ages 5-7’ eBook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCalculator Puzzles, Tricks and Games Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Master Kids Maths: KS2 Fractions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMathapalooza: A Collection of Math Poetry for Primary and Intermediate Students Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrimary School ‘KS2 (Key Stage 2) - Maths – Times Table Practice - Ages 7-11’ eBook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaster Division & Fractions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhole Numbers for Sixth Graders Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIt's Your World!: A Crash Course in Social Studies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSuccess Strategies for Teaching Struggling Math Students: Take the Pain out of Pre-Algebra Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlgebra for the Urban Student: Using Stories to Make Algebra Fun and Easy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJumpstarters for Geometry, Grades 4 - 8 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsColorquations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDecimal Addition and Subtraction Practice Book 3, Grade 4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSound and Light Experiments for Hands-on Learning - Science 4th Grade | Children's Science Education Books Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMath Champs! Tables, Charts, and Graphs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFractions - Intermediate Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUsing the Right Brain for Math -Multiplication and Division for Kids Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Geometry Quick Starts Workbook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlgebra Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMeasurement - Drill Sheets Gr. 6-8 Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5The Girl Who Ate Equations for Breakfast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThird Grade Science Experiments Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMath Champs! Counting and Place Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Master Kids Maths: KS2 Decimals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdvanced Geometry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Children's For You
Much Ado About Nothing (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPete the Kitty and the Unicorn's Missing Colors Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dork Diaries 1: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Into the Wild: Warriors #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coraline Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Shadow Is Purple Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pete the Kitty Goes to the Doctor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cedric The Shark Get's Toothache: Bedtime Stories For Children, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dark Is Rising Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Witch of Blackbird Pond: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The School for Good and Evil: Now a Netflix Originals Movie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mind-Boggling Word Puzzles Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bridge to Terabithia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amari and the Night Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little House on the Prairie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coraline 10th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Crossover: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secret Garden: The 100th Anniversary Edition with Tasha Tudor Art and Bonus Materials Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Island of the Blue Dolphins: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Number the Stars: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Alice In Wonderland: The Original 1865 Unabridged and Complete Edition (Lewis Carroll Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalk Two Moons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fever 1793 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Phantom Tollbooth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Twas the Night Before Christmas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tempest (No Fear Shakespeare) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for That Figures!
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
That Figures! - Danielle S. Hammelef
skills.
CHAPTER 1
WHY FRACTIONS ARE A PIECE OF CAKE
Once you get the hang of them, fractions really are a piece of cake. OK, so that’s not their technical definition—you can’t exactly eat fractions. But when you eat a piece of cake, it’s like you’re eating a fraction because you’re eating a part of a whole cake.
Go Figure!
Let’s look at a tasty example. To celebrate your softball team’s win in a tournament, you baked 24 yummy cupcakes.
But on the morning of the victory party, you discover that your brother and his friends ate 8 of your cupcakes! There’s no time to bake more, but luckily you’ll still have enough for everyone on the team.
Even so, you want to know what fraction of your original number of cupcakes you still have left. To get started, write the number of cupcakes you have left as the numerator. The number of cupcakes you started with is the denominator.
We can reduce this fraction by using our factoring skills. First find the greatest common factor (GCF) in its simplest form.
Using your factoring know-how, you figure out that 8 goes into 16 and 24 equally without leaving any left over or remainder. In other words, the GCF for 16 and 24 is 8. So if we divide both the numerator and the denominator by 8, we get:
(16÷8)/(24÷8) = ⅔
So you now have two-thirds the number of cupcakes that you originally had—thanks to your annoying brother and his friends.
MULTIPLYING FRACTIONS
You’re probably wondering, When will I ever need to multiply fractions?
Well, recipes often come with ingredients listed in fractions— ½ cup, ¼ teaspoon, ¾ tablespoon, and so on. And sometimes you need to double or triple the recipe to make enough food. Multiplying fractions helps you get this information in a snap.
Go Figure!
Let’s say you’re making a marinade for a chicken dinner. Your recipe is for 4 servings, but tonight your family of 4 is hosting your cousin’s family of 8. If the recipe calls for ½ cup of lime juice, ¼ teaspoon of red pepper, and 2½cups of teriyaki sauce, how much of each ingredient do you need for your feast?
You’d better set a big table—you have 12 people coming to dinner, or 3 times as many as the recipe’s serving size. This means that you’ll need to multiply each ingredient by 3 to figure out how much you’ll need for 12 people.
Let’s start with the ½ cup of lime juice. To multiply fractions, you multiply the numerators together to get a new numerator, then you multiply the denominators together to get a new denominator. So your lime juice calculation looks like this:
½ × 3 = ?
Wait a minute! This problem doesn’t have two denominators. Now what?
. So here’s how your calculation looks as an improper fraction:
cups of lime juice
To make measuring easier, let’s change this into a mixed number:
cups = 1½ cups
Now do the same for the other ingredients:
= (1 x 3)/(4 x 1) = ¾ teaspoon red pepper
2½ cups of teriyaki sauce: (first change into an improper fraction):
= 7½ cups of teriyaki sauce.
Now you’re ready to mix up those ingredients and start cooking!