Four gardeners each watered a fraction of their flower beds before lunch. Ms Kaur watered 38, Mr Lee watered 512, Mrs Tan watered 716 and Mr Ong watered 25. Arrange the four names from the least fraction watered to the greatest.
Need a hint?
Rewrite all four fractions with the same denominator before comparing them.
Worked answer
- Find a common denominator for 8, 12, 16 and 5: the LCM is 240.
- Write each fraction in 240ths: 3/8 = 90/240, 5/12 = 100/240, 7/16 = 105/240, 2/5 = 96/240.
- Compare the numerators: 90 < 96 < 100 < 105.
- So the order from least to greatest is Ms Kaur, Mr Ong, Mr Lee, Mrs Tan.
Answer: Ms Kaur, Mr Ong, Mr Lee, Mrs Tan
The mistake this question tests
Habit
Simplest form in final fraction answers
Comparing only the numerators (3, 2, 5, 7) or only the denominators ignores the size of each whole piece, so the order comes out wrong.
How to fix it at home →More PSLE fractions questions
MCQ · 1m
Rina read 4/9 of a storybook, Sam read 7/12 of a storybook, and Tara read 2/3 of a storybook
See the answer →Short answer · 2mFractions and decimals: answer both parts
See the answer →Structured · 4mBen and Alia each did some work at a school fair
See the answer →MCQ · 1mAt the school reading challenge, Aisyah, Daniel, Mei Lin and Kai each read a different fraction of a book
See the answer →Short answer · 2mAisyah had 5/6 kg of dough and divided it into 10 equal pieces
See the answer →Structured · 4mA baker uses sugar and flour to make treats for a school fair
See the answer →Practise PSLE fractions until the mistakes stop.
Three PSLE questions, free, no sign-up. You’ll see exactly where the marks went. Then 7 days of everything for S$4.99.