You can complete the sentence with "benchmarks" by saying: "use benchmarks to compare two fractions using common reference points."
Example of Comparing Fractions with Benchmarks:
To compare two fractions, such as 3/4 and 2/5, you can use benchmarks like 0, 1/2, and 1.
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Convert the fractions to decimal:
- 3/4 = 0.75
- 2/5 = 0.4
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Use benchmarks:
- Since 0.75 is greater than 0.5, we know 3/4 is greater than 1/2.
- Since 0.4 is less than 0.5, we know 2/5 is less than 1/2.
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Conclusion:
- Therefore, we can conclude that 3/4 > 2/5 since 3/4 is greater than 1/2 and 2/5 is less than 1/2.
In summary, using benchmarks helps to visually and conceptually compare fractions by converting them into a familiar range.