To determine how far the caterpillar can crawl in one minute, we first need to find its speed.
The caterpillar crawls \( \frac{1}{2} \) inch in \( \frac{1}{4} \) minute.
To find the distance it can crawl in one full minute (which is 4 times \( \frac{1}{4} \) minute), we can calculate:
\[ \text{Speed} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{\frac{1}{2} \text{ inch}}{\frac{1}{4} \text{ minute}} = \frac{1}{2} \div \frac{1}{4} = \frac{1}{2} \times \frac{4}{1} = 2 \text{ inches per minute} \]
Now, in one full minute, the caterpillar can crawl:
\[ 2 \text{ inches} \]
So, the caterpillar can crawl \( \boxed{2} \) inch(es) in one minute.
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