Maths

[Oncewasblueandyellowtwo]

I'm looking for some maths help. I've applied to college as a mature student and have to take a test, one part of the test is numerical.
It is basic, multiplying, division, percentages.I don't understand percentages and need help with this mostly,i can multiply and divide with a calculator and understand it.Does anyone have maths tips?
example: I don't understand 1/3. I think that would have to be 1 out of 3 parts but it can be 1/3 out out of 10 parts, but i have no idea how that is?

1/3 is one third.

1/3 of 3 is 1
1/3 of 6 is 2
1/3 of 9 is 3
1/3 of 12 is 4
1/3 of 100 is 33 and a third and so on.

It simply means what figure is1/3 (one third) of a specified number. In other words divide any number by 3 - your answer is 1/3 of the original number.

It's exactly the same principle as 1/2 (one half) or 1/4 (one quarter) ad infinitum for every other number

This might help you get it sorted.
www.mathsisfun.com/converting-fractions-decimals.html

Dido

Thanks i'm working through your post

TheBewildernessisWeetabix's post explains converting fractions to decimals, if that is what you are struggling with. Your post wasn't clear

There are some great teachers on you tube who explain maths so well.

Koalabule
Thank you, i just can't watch videos for too long, the sounds hurt my ears.
I'm trying to understand what Dido posted,
Is 1/3 of a cake the same as 1/3 of a pizza if you want 1/3?
It's not about weight or volume.

The 'divide' symbol represents a fraction with dots instead of numbers so 1 divided by 3 is 1/3.

For help with percentages got hold of 100 'things' counters, buttons, paperclips, pennies...

start by dividing them into 1/2, 1/3, etc - 1/3 you will not be able to get an even number.

Percentages are a way to define something as 'out of a hundred'.

If you have a £1 that is the same as 100 pennies. So if you want to divide it by 2 you will have 2 x 50p.

An increase of 10% would be 10p.

I'm trying to understand what Dido posted,
Is 1/3 of a cake the same as 1/3 of a pizza if you want 1/3?
It's not about weight or volume

One third of a thing is always that thing's numerical value or weight or volume or size divided by 3.

If a cake weighs 99 grammes 1/3 is 99÷3 =33g

If a pizza were square and measured 30cm by 30cm (900 sq cm) then 1/3 is a slice which is 900 sq cm divided by 3 =300 sq cm measuring say 10 cm by 3 slice

A bottle of wine holds 75cl. 1/3 of the bottle is 75÷3 or 25cl

I don't want to be rude but asking

Is 1/3 of a cake the same as 1/3 of a pizza if you want 1/3?

does rather show you are struggling.

If you can afford it and if it can be done by Skype or Facetime I think a proper tutor would be a big help.

No dido you are not being rude at all, i'm very grateful for your help.
Yes you see, i do not get it.

Khan academy is really good at explaining concepts in maths.

Try looking at an image. It really helps sometimes to make sense of it. Some people (like me!) are visual learners so trying to unravel concepts can be made much easier if it's drawn.

www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2FFraction-Percentages-Decimals-Childrens-Educational%2Fdp%2FB01EW1U3S6&psig=AOvVaw3MbHqPUkrvCPrUfOlRAB-j&ust=1586146623017000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOip1ea20OgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

Does this help?

Sorry the link was rubbish

Is 1/3 of a cake the same as 1/3 of a pizza if you want 1/3?

My examples assumed someone wanted a 1/3 (one third) of a cake by weight and of a pizza by dimension but both could be divided on the basis of weight or dimension. It depends on what the intention is.

If you had 6 apples one third of their total number is 6÷3=2.

If you needed to know one third of their total weight, say for a recipe, you would weigh them , say 90g in total. One third of their weight is 30g.

I remember DD struggling with fractions at GCSE time.

In a fraction such as 1/4, the number at the bottom is the number of equal parts you have divided something in to, and the number at the top is how many of these parts you actually have.

So if you divide a cake into 4 equal parts, so that each part is the same size and weight, each of those parts is called a quarter, expressed as 1/4 - one of the four parts.

If you have two of those parts you have two quarters, expressed as 2/4.

Three parts is 3/4, and if you have all four parts you have 4/4, or four of the four quarters. 4/4 is the same as 1, because you have one whole cake.

You can divide the cake equally by size or weight, it doesn't matter. And if you were dividing up liquid, say a bottle of coke, you'd divide by centilitres. So if you have a 100cl bottle, each quarter would be 25cl

It's more complicated when numbers don't divide easily eg if the bottle was a 75cl one. Then each quarter would be 18,75cl.

When you divide up a cake or a pizza into 8 equal parts, and you take 2 of those (2/8), you will see if you draw it, or cut an actual cake, that having 2/8 off the cake is actually the same s as having 1/4 of it.

1/3 means One part out of three parts.
It could be sisters, one sister out of three.
It could be pairs of socks, one pair out of three.
Indeed it could be pizza or cake.

The bottom number (denominator) is how many parts the whole is divided into
Ie
1/2 = divided into
1/3 = divided into 3
1/4 = divided into 4.

The top number (numerator) is how many parts you have.

So

If a pizza is cut into 6 slices, it has been cut into sixths. If you eat one slice, you have eaten 1/6. If you eat 2 slices, you have eaten 2/6.

If you eat the whole thing, you have eaten 6/6, which is the same as a whole, and you probably need to stay off the pizza for a week.

What a wonderful thread (I mean it).

The fraction deals with the numbers part exactly the same.
So it doesn't matter what it's measuring in (g, lbs, mm, kg, bottles, £ etc), just remember that whatever the question is talking about you use that unit for the answer after dealing with the numbers.
Example: if it's 1/3 of 9 apples make sure you write 3apples not 3cm.

Hope that helps you to see how the numbers part and whatever it's measured in can be split into two thought processes.

Check out 'mathantics' and 'how to do math' on Youtube. They have excellent videos that cover school level mathematics.

You need to understand that 1/3 can be thought of in different ways

• As a chunk of something (so 1/3 of a cake, a cake split three ways)
• As a number on the number line (so a number between 0 and 1, but nearer to 0)
• As the number 1 divided by 3 (which gives you the decimal equivalent)

It’s easier to think of one half (1/2) to get an idea. 1/2 of a cake is easy to visualise. 1/2 is the number exactly between 0 and 1. 1 divided by 2 gives you 0.5, the decimal equivalent of one half.

Our decimal system and the prevalent use of calculators does seem to make fractions tricky for lots of people. I get asked your question very frequently.

And as pp have said, the way to find 1/3 of any quantity is to divide it by 3, same as to find 1/2 you divide by 2, 1/5 you divide by 5 and so on.

Oncewasblueandyellowtwo BBC Bitesize is a good source too. In normal times I’d say that you could get help at your local further education college. I am fairly sure that Level 2 courses in English and maths are free. Some of them will be doing online courses now (or did them already). That would mean you have some help
before taking the exam.

What an unusual thread to have in feminism.

To supplement the excellent info you have already been given:
a) You can get calculators these days that actually do fractions. Look for one marked suitable for GCSE.
b) '1/3' is the same as '1 divided by 3'
c) In maths 'of' means 'times'
d) So '1/3 of 10' means 1/3 x 10 = 10/3 = 3&1/3

(Percentages just means out of 100. It makes things made up of different amounts easier to compare.)