There are some areas in maths where fractions are useful for example * its better to express pi as 22/7 instead of 3.14, since 22/7 is more precise. * volume of pyramid = 1/3 * base-area * height, if we use 0.33, then we may not get the correct volume.
But in our daily usage, the decimals with %age is much easier for example * US population is 5 % of the World population, but it will be difficult to say 1/20. * Truck sales as %age of overall vehicle sales in USA is 55 %, in fraction, it may be 5/9 and this will be weird. Its always easier to work with single number like 22 %, 57 %, etc instead of some weird fractions like 2/7, 5/9, etc. May be if some people find 100 is a big #, then we can encourage them to use per ten and express things like 2 / 10, 5 / 10. In this case we have to round #s like 25 % to 2 / 10 and 47 % to 5 / 10. So we have to take the fraction using people to per 10 first and then percentage. Madan --- kilopascal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 2003-01-13 > > Americans and other users of FFU are no better of at > comprehending fractions > then those who use SI. I bet if you gave Joe > Six-pack a test on > manipulating fractions, he'd fail. Most people who > encounter fractions in > school spend their time in a dark cloud of > confusion, learn (or cheat) just > enough to pass the test and are relieved when it is > over. > > Even while watching old reruns of "Leave it to > Beaver", it is comical to > watch Wally complain of the hardship of learning > fractions. I remember a > couple of episodes where fractions was brought up in > relation to doing math > homework. It seemed the only subject mentioned when > school math was brought > up were fractions. > > The truth is, most Americans, as I'm sure most > people everywhere else, are > only comfortable with a few simple, basic fractions. > That is half, quarter > and eighth. Sixteenth is only used by people who > make things and > thirty-second and beyond is either rarely, or never > mentioned. This is the > extent of most peoples experience with fractions. > Any type of actual math > with fractions is not done. It is avoided like the > plague. > > To say American brains are wired to use fractions is > nonsense. > > John > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mike Joy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, 2003-01-13 04:41 > Subject: [USMA:24454] Re: the U.S., etc. > > > > John said:- > > > > "It has been determined that three out of four > Americans believe three out > > of four is 68 %." (Scott Roeben) > > **************** > > > > I think Mr Roeben has hit the nail on the metric > head, so to speak. > > > > It's possible that Americans will have a much > harder time accepting the SI > > system because it's not a fractional-based system. > > > > If you're taught from day one to measure and > calculate things in fractions > > as US schools do, then of course the answer would > be 68% instead of 75%. > > > > It's very hard to unwire all those brain cells and > rewire them to think in > > decimal terms - much easier to stick with FFU, > even if it's the most > > illogical system in the world. > > > > Would this account for the in-built resistance to > the SI system? > > > > Food for thought. > > > > Mike > > > __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com
