A glass takes up 1/4 of a litter. How many glasses would it take to fill up a 4 liter jug

Question

We are learning divison of fractions and word problems. 

Answer 1

Another way to consider it is to make the fraction a decimal.  1/4 is the same as 0.25.  If you prefer, you can divide the 4 liters by 0.25 using "long division".

 

I know, nobody likes dividing with decimals.  And, the purpose of this lesson is for you to practice dividing with fractions.  However, I believe it is very helpful for students to recognize equivalent values in different forms.  Mastering the ability to switch "modes" will be extremely valuable in higher level Algebra (and even Trigonometry and Calculus).

Answer 2

Hi Kendall,

 

All we need to do is to divide the volume of the jug by the volume of the glass. Units are the same in liters.

 

4 / (1/4) = 4*(4/1) = 16 (when you divide by a fraction, you can convert it to multiplication by taking the reciprocal of the denominator. The reciprocal of 1/4 is 4/1 or 4).