Fractional Units and Equal Shares

Class 6 Maths · Chapter 7: Fractions · NCERT Ganita Prakash section 7.1

Learn

Gauri's grandmother makes one big thepla for Gauri and her brother. To be fair, she cuts it into 2 equal parts. Each child gets one half, written 1/2.

If 3 children share it, each gets 1/3 (one third). If 4 share it, each gets 1/4 (one quarter). A piece like 1/2, 1/3 or 1/4 is called a fractional unit: one of several equal parts of a whole.

Equal matters! If a roti is torn into a big piece and a small piece, neither piece is 1/2. Two pieces are halves only when they are exactly the same size.

The more people share one whole, the smaller each share. So 1/2 > 1/3 > 1/4 > 1/5 … A bigger bottom number means a smaller piece.

1/2 > 1/3 > 1/4 > 1/5 > 1/6

Two things, three friends. Kabir, Zoya and Tenzin share 2 chikki bars equally. Cut each bar into 3 equal parts; each friend takes one part from each bar. Each gets 1/3 + 1/3, which is 2/3 of a bar.

2 ÷ 3 = 2/3 each

Explore: be the fair cutter. Choose the number of equal parts and shade one share.

1. Cut the circle for 4 friends and shade one friend's share.
2. Now show the share when 6 friends share it.
3. Which share is bigger, 1/3 or 1/8? Shade the bigger one.

Remember

• A fractional unit is one of several equal parts of a whole: 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 …
• More equal parts → smaller unit. 1/3 is bigger than 1/5.

Quick check

5 friends share one watermelon equally. What does each get?

1. 1/5
2. 5
3. 5/1
4. 1/4

Think about it

Two paper strips are the same size. Ira folds one into 4 equal parts and the other into 8. Which strip has the bigger parts, and how many of the small parts fit in one big part?

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.