Common Pre-Algebra Mistakes
Example: Comparing Fractions

The Goal

Which is the smaller fraction:

goal


The Mistake

The smaller fraction is:

mistake

(Roll the mouse over the algebra to see a hint in red)


The Correction

The smaller fraction is:

correction

(Roll the mouse over the area above to see the correction in blue)


An Explanation

When the numerators of two fractions are equal (they are both 1 in this mistake), the fraction with the larger denominator (namely, 28) is the smaller fraction.
Why?
If you think of fractions in terms of pieces of pizza, then you'll have a smaller piece if the pizza is divided into 28 pieces than if the pizza is divided into 12 pieces. 1/28 of a pizza is smaller than 1/12 of a pizza. The fraction 1/28 is smaller than 1/12.

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