Final answer:
2/8 simplifies to 1/4, and since 1/4 is exactly halfway between 0 and 1/2, it is closer to 0. Picturing fractions as parts of a pie or amounts of money can help with understanding their relative sizes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fraction 2/8 can be simplified to 1/4 because 2 and 8 are both divisible by 2. When we consider the fractions 0, 1/2, and 1, we can see that 1/4 is exactly halfway between 0 and 1/2. On a number line, 0 would be at the start, 1/2 would be in the middle, and 1 would be at the end. The fraction 1/4 is closer to 0 than to 1/2 or 1.
To better understand this, let's think about a pie. If you divide a pie into 8 equal slices, 2 slices would be a quarter (1/4) of the pie, which is less than half (1/2) of the pie. Similarly, if you think in terms of money, 25 cents (1/4 of a dollar) is less than 50 cents (1/2 of a dollar).