Halves and Quarters: Splitting Things Equally

Imagine you and a friend order one pizza. You want to share it so each person gets exactly the same amount. How would you cut it? Now imagine four friends want to share the same pizza equally. Would each person get more or less than before? Think about your answers before reading on.

A fraction is a way of writing part of a whole. We use fractions when something is split into equal parts. **Halves** When you split something into 2 equal parts, each part is called one half. We write one half like this: 1/2. The bottom number (2) tells you how many equal parts there are in total. The top number (1) tells you how many parts you are talking about. Both parts must be exactly the same size — if they are not equal, it is not a half. **Quarters** When you split something into 4 equal parts, each part is called one quarter. We write one quarter like this: 1/4. The bottom number (4) tells you there are 4 equal parts. The top number (1) tells you you are looking at just one of those parts. **Halves and quarters of numbers** You can also find fractions of amounts, not just shapes. To find 1/2 of a number: split the number into 2 equal groups. 1/2 of 12 = 12 ÷ 2 = 6. To find 1/4 of a number: split the number into 4 equal groups. 1/4 of 12 = 12 ÷ 4 = 3. Notice that a quarter is always smaller than a half of the same number. More equal parts means each part is smaller.