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        riddles >> general problem-solving / chatting / whatever >> Fractions
        
(Message started by: LeoYard on Dec 13^th, 2011, 2:43pm)

Title: Fractions
Post by LeoYard on Dec 13^th, 2011, 2:43pm

How can you place fractions on a number line?

Title: Re: Fractions
Post by towr on Dec 13^th, 2011, 10:05pm

How do you mean?

Title: Re: Fractions
Post by LeoYard on Dec 14^th, 2011, 11:21am

on 12/13/11 at 22:05:48, towr wrote:

How do you mean?

I think we should be able to place fractions on the number line.

By definition, a number line is a picture of a straight line on which every point is assumed to correspond to a real number and every real number to a point.

I just had hard time to do it because of the space between two fractions, two decimal numbers on the line. It seemed to me that fractions take up absolutely no space on the number line

E.g. space between sqr(2) and sqr(2)+epsilon

If we visualize a the fraction a/b as one number,even though it is written using two whole numbers, a and b.

Title: Re: Fractions
Post by towr on Dec 14^th, 2011, 1:01pm

But no number takes up any space on the number line; they're points.
I'd just put them on the number line exactly as I'd put any real number on it. So e.g. I'd put 1/7 1/7th the way between 0 and 1.

Title: Re: Fractions
Post by LeoYard on Dec 17^th, 2011, 5:32pm

on 12/14/11 at 13:01:08, towr wrote:

But no number takes up any space on the number line; they're points.

Right. I meant space between numbers. As a matter of habit, when writing up the number line, integers are placed, making them easy to visualize them

Quote:

I'd just put them on the number line exactly as I'd put any real number on it. So e.g. I'd put 1/7 1/7th the way between 0 and 1.