Final answer:
The purpose of fraction strips, including the 1 strip, is to visualize fractions, understand their relative sizes, and grasp the rules for performing operations with them.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of using fraction strips and a 1 strip is to help visualize the concept of fractions and their comparative sizes. Fraction strips are visual aids that can represent parts of a whole, making it easier to understand operations like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions. The 1 strip represents a whole and is used as a reference against other fraction strips to understand the size of different fractions in relation to the whole.
Using fraction strips, students can also discover the need for common denominators when adding or subtracting fractions and see how different fractions compare and combine. This hands-on tool builds on our natural intuition to help demonstrate and understand the mechanics of fractions and their rules.