Jason was asked by his teacher to draw a figure that will represent thirteen-eights on a board. If he wants to use a circle as the figure, into how many equal parts will he divide the circle?

1 answer

To represent the fraction \( \frac{13}{8} \) using a circle, Jason can follow these steps:

  1. Understanding the fraction: The numerator (13) indicates how many parts we have, and the denominator (8) indicates how many equal parts the entire circle is divided into.

  2. Dividing the circle: Since the denominator is 8, Jason should divide the circle into 8 equal parts. This way, each part of the circle represents \( \frac{1}{8} \) of the whole.

  3. Representing \( \frac{13}{8} \): With the circle divided into 8 parts, to show \( \frac{13}{8} \), Jason would need to demonstrate more than one whole (since \( 8/8 \) represents 1 whole). Specifically, representing \( 13 \) means:

    • He can fully use all 8 parts to show one complete circle (which represents \( \frac{8}{8} \)).
    • For the remaining parts, he would need to show an additional 5 parts out of another circle divided into 8 parts (to account for the \( \frac{5}{8} \)).

Thus, to effectively illustrate \( \frac{13}{8} \) on the board with a circle, he should divide the circle into 8 equal parts.

Final answer: 8 equal parts.