Word Problems with Fractions

Today we are going to look at some examples of word problems with fractions.

Although they may seem more difficult, in reality, word problems involving fractions are just as easy as those involving whole numbers. The only thing we have to do is:

1. Read the problem carefully.
2. Think about what it is asking us to do.
3. Think about the information we need.
4. Solve it.
5. Simplify, if necessary.
6. Think about whether our solution makes sense (in order to check it).

As you can see, the only difference in fraction word problems is step 5 (simplify).

There are some word problems which, depending on the information provided, we should express as a fraction.  For example:

In my fruit basket, there are 13 pieces of fruit, 5 of which are apples. 

How can we express the number of apples as a fraction?

5 – The number of apples (5) corresponds to the numerator (the number which expresses the number of parts that we wish to represent).

13 – The total number of fruits (13) corresponds to the denominator (the number which expresses the number of total possible parts).

The solution to this problem is an irreducible fraction (a fraction which cannot be simplified). Therefore, there is nothing left to do.

Word problems with fractions: involving two fractions

In these problems, we should remember how to carry out operations with fractions.

Carefully read the following problem and the steps we have taken to solve it:

Maria spent  of the money her grandparents gave her on an adventure book.  She also spent of the money on a bag of candy. 

What fraction of the payment has Maria spent?

We find the common denominator:

We calculate:

Answer:

Word problems with fractions: involving a fraction and a whole number

Finally, we are going to look at an example of a word problem with a fraction and a whole number. Now we will have to convert all the information into a fraction with the same denominator (as we did in the example above) in order to calculate

This morning Miguel bought 1 pound of anchovies. In order to eat with his family, he used of a pound. How much does he have left in the refrigerator?

 We convert 1 into a fraction with the same denominator:

We calculate:

Answer:

What do you think of this post? Do you see how easy it is to solve word problems with fractions?

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Learn More:

• Understand What a Fraction Is and When It Is Used
• Fraction Word Problems: Addition, Subtraction, and Mixed Numbers
• Learn and Practice How to Subtract or Add Fractions
• Learn How to Subtract Fractions
• Review and Practice the Two Methods of Dividing Fractions

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