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Math Drawings – Creating An Aha!

Create some Math problems that could be solved by drawing a picture or making a diagram.  Here is one to get you started.

Brad was sorting his toys by color.  He had sorted 1/3 of them when it was time to eat dinner.  After dinner he had to do his homework and so didn't get back to the project until later.  He then sorted 3/4 of the remaining toys before bedtime.  "That's fine", he thought, "I've finished most of them and can sort the rest in the morning."

What fraction of all Brad's toys were left to be sorted the next morning?

Fractions of fractions can seem a bit overwhelming, but a picture can make the problem much easier. 

1.  Start by drawing a rectangle on a sheet of paper that would represent all of Brad's toys.  2.  Now draw two horizontal lines to divide the rectangle into three equal parts and shade one part to represent the 1/3 that were sorted before dinner.  3.  Next draw three vertical lines through your rectangle to divide it into fourths. 4.  Shade 3 of every four of the newly created sections to mark off 3/4 of the toys that were sorted after dinner. 5.  How manysections are left unshaded?  2 of 12 or 1/6.  Brad has 1/6 of his toys left to sort.

Make up some more of you own. 

• How much is 1/2 of 3/5?
• What is 2/3 of 7/10?
• Can you show 1/4 of 5/6?