Question

Which of the following story problems best represents the division problem 3/5 ÷ 1/2?

A) Sarah baked 3/5 of a cake and wants to divide it into halves to share with her friends. How many halves of the cake will each friend receive?

B) Ethan has 3/5 yard of fabric and wants to cut it into pieces, each measuring 1/2 yard. How many 1/2 yard pieces can he cut from the fabric?

C) Emily read 3/5 of a book in half-hour intervals. How many intervals did she take to finish reading the book?

D) Rachel bought 3/5 dozen cookies and wants to distribute them equally among 1/2 dozen boxes. How many boxes can she fill completely with the cookies?

Answer 1

The story problem that best represents the division problem 3/5 ÷ 1/2 is option B) Ethan has 3/5 yard of fabric and wants to cut it into pieces, each measuring 1/2 yard. This problem involves dividing a quantity (3/5 yard of fabric) into equal-sized pieces (1/2 yard each), just like the division problem 3/5 ÷ 1/2.

Step-by-step explanation:

The story problem that best represents the division problem 3/5 ÷ 1/2 is option B) Ethan has 3/5 yard of fabric and wants to cut it into pieces, each measuring 1/2 yard. This problem involves dividing a quantity (3/5 yard of fabric) into equal-sized pieces (1/2 yard each), just like the division problem 3/5 ÷ 1/2.

To solve this problem, we can use the concept that dividing a fraction by another fraction is equivalent to multiplying the first fraction by the reciprocal of the second fraction. Thus, 3/5 ÷ 1/2 can be rewritten as 3/5 * 2/1. Multiplying these fractions gives us (3 * 2)/(5 * 1) = 6/5. So, Ethan can cut 6 pieces measuring 1/2 yard each from the 3/5 yard of fabric.