Question

You check for available seats on the interactive ride. There are eight seats in a row. Four of the seats in one row are occupied. What fraction of seats are available in that row?

Answer 1

4 out of 8 seats are occupied. So 4/8 would be your fraction. When you simplify by dividing both the numerator and denominator by 4, you get 1/2 as your simplified answer.

Answer 2

`(1)/(2)`

Explanation:

Be

X = Seats occupied in the row

Y = Total seats in the row

Z = Available seats

According to the data given

X = 4

Y = 8

Z = 8 - 4 = 4

The fraction of occupied seats is the same as that of occupied seats, since X = Z = 4 (there are the same number of seats available as occupied seats).

That fraction is

`(Z)/(Y)=(4)/(8)`

To take that fraction to its simplest forms, we calculate the Greatest Common Factor (GFC), using the factors of the numbers 4 and 8, and selecting the largest that is common to both, that is:

For 4:

1 x 4

2 x 2

Factors of 4 = 1,2,4

For 8:

1 x 8

2 x 4

Factors of 8 = 1,2,4,8

We see that the GFC for 4 and 8 is number 4.

Then we divide both parts of the fraction by 4.

`(Z)/(Y)=(4/4)/(8/4)`

`(Z)/(Y)=(1)/(2)`

The fraction of seats are available in the row es
`(1)/(2)`

Hope this helps!