Final answer:
The claim that a "fraction" is a small unclaimed piece of land that might emerge when surveyors accurately mapped claims is true in the historical context. The term stems from the metes and bounds system, which created irregular land parcels with complex boundaries. This system sometimes resulted in unclaimed fractions of land between claims.
Step-by-step explanation:
The assertion that a "fraction" refers to a small sliver of unclaimed ground that could appear when surveyors accurately mapped out claims is true with regard to historical land division practices, particularly under the metes and bounds system. During the surveying of land using the metes and bounds system, the boundaries of land parcels were defined using natural landmarks, which often resulted in irregular shapes and sizes. As settlers claimed the land, the maps began to resemble a complex jigsaw puzzle with increasingly difficult-to-determine boundaries. When surveyors accurately mapped these claims, it was not uncommon for small pieces of unclaimed land, or "fractions," to appear between claimed parcels.
Fractions in another context, such as in mathematics, refer to a numerical representation of a part of a whole, but this is not applicable to the historical context of land claims. The metes and bounds system was subject to limitations and difficulties, including disputes over land, an uneven distribution of high-quality farmland, and exploitation by land speculators and politically-connected individuals. Over time, the Public Land Survey System, which used a more regular grid pattern of townships and sections, replaced the metes and bounds system to standardize land division and discourage these problems.
Overall, the metes and bounds system left a legacy of complicated land ownership patterns and contributed to the social and economic stratification of frontier communities.