Question

1. Big Al has a set of non-metric wrenches that have these numbers on the end:

7/16, 1/4, 9/16, 3/8, 5/16, 1/2

Which of these wrenches fits the largest nut?

Which fits the smallest nut?

I am very confused on how to figure this out. Please help.

Answer 1

use a common denominator of 16, and you have

7/16, 4/16, 9/16, ...

then it will be easy

Answer 2

You have me very confused.

Answer 3

you need to read up on equivalent fractions.

If you have 1/4, and then multiply by 1, nothing is changed. 4/4=1, so

1/4 * 4/4 = 4/16

If all the fractions have a common denominator of 16, the the largest numerator will be the largest value. Think of (1/16) as a single quantity, like $, apples, or toothpicks

$5 > $4
3 apples is more than 2 apples
12 toothpicks is more than 5 toothpicks

for any unit,

m units is more than n units if m > n

So,

1/4 < 7/16 because 4/16 < 7/16 because 4 < 7

Still confused? google is your friend -- do a search on comparing fractions or something. Once it clicks, you'll see how easy it all really is.

Answer 4

I am still confused on this even more by how you explained it.

Answer 5

This site has an excellent explanation of equivalent fractions.
http://www.mathsisfun.com/equivalent_fractions.html

Answer 6

I will definitely review this site however I am confused on how to begin solving this particular problem and what do I need to do with all those fractions?