From John: I teach in a Faculty of Education. A colleague in the university asked me about fractions and lowest terms. I am quoting the person below, and would appreciate your insights into the question/thought.
"One I'm struggling with is why (for example) 6/18 is not considered as good an answer to a fraction question as 1/3. The traditional response is that 6/18 is not in lowest terms so the question has not been finished until the fraction is reduced, but what actually makes the lowest terms answer the better one? Is it convention? Is there a way to explain why simplest form answers in fractions are right and and anything else is considered incorrect without alluding to some need for this 'good habit' elsewhere in math or science? Is there a real-life reason?"
Thank you for any insights and if you have nothing to offer to this query, that is fine too. I appreciate your consideration.
John Answered by Robert Dawson.
From Karen: Divide and reduce to lowest terms.
Use the cancellation technique as needed
4 2/3 divided by 12
14/3 divided by 12/1 not sure wheer to go from here with the cancellation technique Answered by Penny Nom.
From Aris: A teacher has more than 100 sweets. She thinks that if she give 6, 8 or 9
sweets to her students she will have no remaining in the case. What is the
smallest number of sweets in the bag? Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
From Dawn: For some reason, I have a hard time with Ratio and/or rate problems.
My problem is as follow: Write each rate or ratio as a fraction in lowest
terms. 6 days to 39 hours Answered by Stephen La Rocque.
From Mhairi: I was asked this in maths but I am not sure if it is geography. Name all the compass points? We have been given 8 but he told us there is more and we have to name them. Answered by Chris Fisher.
