What is half of 3 and 1/4 cup?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking how to find half of a measurement, specifically 3 and 1/4 cups. To solve this, we will convert the mixed number to an improper fraction, divide by 2, and then convert back if necessary.
Answer
$1 \frac{5}{8}$
Answer for screen readers
The answer is $1 \frac{5}{8}$ cups.
Steps to Solve
- Convert the mixed number to an improper fraction
To convert the mixed number $3 \frac{1}{4}$ to an improper fraction, we first multiply the whole number by the denominator and then add the numerator.
The calculation is: $$ 3 \times 4 + 1 = 12 + 1 = 13 $$ So, we can express $3 \frac{1}{4}$ as the improper fraction $\frac{13}{4}$.
- Divide the improper fraction by 2
Now, we need to find half of $\frac{13}{4}$. To do this, we can multiply the fraction by $\frac{1}{2}$:
$$ \frac{13}{4} \times \frac{1}{2} = \frac{13 \times 1}{4 \times 2} = \frac{13}{8} $$
- Convert the improper fraction back to a mixed number
To convert $\frac{13}{8}$ back to a mixed number, we divide the numerator by the denominator:
$$ 13 \div 8 = 1 \text{ remainder } 5 $$
This means we have $1$ whole and a remainder of $5$, which gives us the mixed number: $$ 1 \frac{5}{8} $$
The answer is $1 \frac{5}{8}$ cups.
More Information
Finding half of a measurement is a common task in cooking and baking. It's important to know how to work with both mixed numbers and improper fractions for accurate measurements.
Tips
- Forgetting to convert the mixed number to an improper fraction before performing operations can lead to errors. Always ensure that you are working with fractions in a consistent form.
- Not simplifying the fraction correctly or misinterpreting the division by 2 may result in an incorrect answer.
