Time for MATH MINUTE! (provide your favorite theme music
here).
Get
out your paper & pencil because I have a new puzzle for you!!
PUZZLE #16 Fractions can be fun, Part2! Jan. 29 -Feb. 2
Changing fractions to decimals
can be fun, as we saw
in Puzzle 10.
The fractions which use 7 as the
denominator are one
of my favorites. These have a little
different form from most
others when changed to
decimals.
Remember when you change a
fraction to a decimal
there is a pattern to the
decimal form??
For example 1/2 = 0.5 and 1/3 =
0.33333. . . ?
So here is the challenge:
Compute the decimal form of the
fractions 1/7, 2/7, . . . , 6/7
(remember if you are using a
calculator for this you will need a
display of at least 8
windows in order to see the patterns).
Next, find the pattern in the
decimal form for 1/7.
What is it?
Then state the relation between
the patterns of the
decimal form of each fraction
1/7, . . . , 6/7.
Add the decimal forms for
1/7 and 2/7 by hand and show
that you get the decimal
form for 3/7.
Do the same for 1/7 and 6/7 (be
sure to do this
calculation by hand since
calculators will automatically
change this answer to something
else!?!?!?)
Explain what happens in this
last case (see Puzzle 10
for a hint if you have trouble
here).
Have fun!
Send your
comments, ideas and solutions before Monday to
this email address, and in the subject line be sure to
put: * MM *
Visit us here
online at
http://www2.potsdam.edu/parksjm/MM.htm
to see the results every Monday.
See you next time on MATH MINUTE! (theme music fades out here).