The Task

Make a fraction that equals 1/6 and has 18 as the denominator. What is the fraction? Use the compare box to check.

Teachers' Notes

Students can focus on the denominator alone in this task and leave the numerator as it was originally. When this happens they are not using their multiplicative reasoning to find an equivalent fraction. Instead, they are treating the numerator and denominator as discrete whole numbers in their own right, which is inappropriate when dealing with fractions. If students begin to do this, you may want to encourage them to use the 'find equivalent' tool (right mouse click on the 1/6 representation) and observe how the numerator changes as well as the denominator when they partition the fraction.

You can also read how to make equivalent fractions by reading the Quick Start Guide, "Making equivalent fractions".