Identifying Equivalent Representations of Fractions: Money

Fractions that refer to the same portion of a group of items or the same part of a whole are called equivalent fractions. (Read our April 11 blog post for more on the topic of equivalent fractions.)
So one-fourth can be notated as a decimal: .25

or as a fraction:

In Excel Math, students learn to recognize equivalent fractions using money. Continuing our example with coins, this is a quarter:

We know that four quarters equal one dollar and .25 = one quarter of a dollar. Another way to represent this is that if a dollar is divided into four equal parts, each part will be equal to 25¢.

Many of our everyday monetary units are more easily understood when they are represented as fractions. Our students may be more apt to understand the value of coins when we explain their relationship to the dollar. However, this step requires an understanding of fractions. When students recognize equivalent fractions, it is easier for them to understand how to count change. Take a look at this Fourth Grade Excel Math Worksheet. The first right-hand problem shows:

Excel Math Fourth Grade Lesson 75 Student Worksheet

Twenty nickels equal one dollar. This equation is the equivalent of:
.05 = one twentieth of a dollar (or 5 cents of 100 cents).

Another way to say it is:

Feel free to print out this math worksheet for your students. The answers are shown below. Click here for a PDF file you can download. (However, since Excel Math uses a unique spiraling strategy, you will need to teach multiple lessons sequentially within each grade level in order to get the concepts into your students' long-term memory.) Visit our web store to order these Student Lesson Sheets ($11.00 per student for 155 lesson sheets and tests) plus a Teacher's Edition set of 155 Lessons (available for Kindergarten through Grade 6).

Excel Math Fourth Grade Lesson 75 Student Worksheet
Click here for a free math worksheet you can print out and use with your students.

Here are the answers:

Excel Math Fourth Grade Lesson 75 Student Worksheet with Answers

Next week we'll take a look at equivalent fractions using musical notes and rests. As a quick preview, this is a quarter note:

and here's a quarter rest:

Now let's take a rest from equivalent fractions using money and enjoy the new week ahead.