Halves
🎯 In this topic you will
- Find halves of objects, sets, and quantities.
- Combine two halves to make a whole.
- Record halves using the terms half, $\frac{1}{2}$, equal, and the same as.
🧠 Key Words
- $\frac{1}{2}$
- equal
- half
- halve
- the same
Show Definitions
- $\frac{1}{2}$: The fraction that represents one part out of two equal parts of a whole.
- equal: Having the same value, size, amount, or number as another quantity.
- half: One of two equal parts that together make a whole.
- halve: To divide something into two equal parts.
- the same: Exactly alike in value, amount, or appearance.
🍞 Understanding Wholes and Halves
We need to know about wholes and halves for many different everyday situations. For example, we can talk about half of a sandwich, half a jug of water, or even time such as half past four. Learning about halves helps us describe equal parts of things around us.
🔢 Halving Numbers
You can also halve numbers. When we halve a number, we split it into two equal parts. For example, half of 10 is 5 because 10 divided into two equal groups gives 5 in each group.
Let's Calculate: $\text{half of } 10 = 5$
❓ EXERCISES
1. When you cut something into two parts and both are the same size, each one is a half. We can write it as $\frac{1}{2}$. Here is $\frac{1}{2}$ of a cake. Here is $\frac{1}{2}$ of another cake. Do the two halves make a whole cake?
👀 Show answer
2. Draw the other half of this face.
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3. Join the word half to the shapes that show a half.
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4. A half is part of a whole.
A half is part of a set.
Draw a line through each set to show $\frac{1}{2}$. How many snails in the whole set? How many snails in half the set?
👀 Show answer
5. Remember when you share equally between two, both sets have the same amount. Jamil needs $\frac{1}{2}$ of these eggs for his cakes. Sairah needs $\frac{1}{2}$ of these eggs for her cookies. Draw a line to show half. How many eggs are needed for the cakes? How many eggs are needed for the cookies?
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6. How many?
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🧠 Think like a Mathematician
Question: How can you halve each cookie?
Task:
- Look carefully at each cookie.
- Draw a line that splits each cookie into two equal parts.
- Check that both parts are the same size.
Follow-up Questions:
Show Answers
- 1: The two parts must be equal in size and shape.
- 2: Yes. If the cookie is symmetrical, it can often be halved in more than one way as long as the two parts are equal.
- 3: Regular shapes such as circles were easiest because they are symmetrical, making it simple to split them into two equal parts.
❓ EXERCISES
7. Use counters to find half of these numbers: $4$ $8$ $18$
👀 Show answer
Half of $8$ is $4$.
Half of $18$ is $9$.