Grade 3 · Fractions
Science-kit samples: count equal fractional pieces
A supply strip for a science workshop is cut into 4 equal pieces per whole, and 3 pieces are selected. Change the controls and explain what the animation reveals.
Predict what will happen, press Play, then pause and explain what changed. Every control also works without playback.
Watch the relationship
PausedHD animation studio
From experiment to screen.
Present a crisp Canvas scene, save a full-HD image, or capture your model as a silent video.
Understand what you are seeing
The idea behind the motion.
A supply strip for a science workshop is cut into 4 equal pieces per whole, and 3 pieces are selected. The denominator sets the size of one fractional unit. The numerator counts those units. Enough selected pieces can fill more than one whole, so fractions need not be less than one. 3/4 has value 0.750 approximately. The exact fractional name remains valid even when its decimal does not terminate.
A relationship to keep
3 pieces of 1/4 = 3/4
Read the symbols alongside the explanation. A diagram shows the relationship; the assumptions tell you when it applies.
- STEP 1
Read the starting situation
A supply strip for a science workshop is cut into 4 equal pieces per whole, and 3 pieces are selected. Identify what each number measures before changing a control; the worked example refers to these starting values.
- STEP 2
Follow the mathematical change
Color selected pieces in order, beginning a new equal-sized whole whenever the previous whole is full. Pause on an intermediate frame and compare the picture with the live readouts.
- STEP 3
Explain and test the relationship
3/4 has value 0.750 approximately. The exact fractional name remains valid even when its decimal does not terminate. Change one input, predict its effect, and test whether the same relationship still works.
Your turn to explain
Make a prediction. Test your reasoning.
Science-kit samples: use the original situation. A supply strip for a science workshop is cut into 4 equal pieces per whole, and 3 pieces are selected. What fraction would one additional piece of the same size represent?
Use the values specified in the question. Reset restores the initial values for this investigation.
Compare your explanation
4/4. The denominator stays 4 because the size of each piece does not change.
Work through a full lesson
Connect the animation to a worked example and practice questions.