Equal fractions of two wholes is in the Primary 5 Four Operations of Fractions chapter. The lesson film is the one Mathweave teaches this skill with in Primary 6, and the practice set below is written for Primary 5.
Lesson video, with the working
Equal fractions, two wholes
2 min 13 s
The question shows first; its working is written as the film explains it.
Question 1 of 1 · Intermediate · free to try3/4 of Mei Ling's stickers is equal to 2/5 of Rahim's stickers. Rahim has 84…3/4 of Mei Ling's stickers is…
3/4 of Mei Ling's stickers is equal to 2/5 of Rahim's stickers. Rahim has 84 more stickers than Mei Ling. (a) Express Mei Ling's number of stickers as a fraction of Rahim's number. (b) How many stickers does Mei Ling have?
3/4 of Mei Ling's stickers = 6/8 of Mei Ling's stickers
2/5 of Rahim's stickers = 6/15 of Rahim's stickers
1/8 of Mei Ling's stickers = 1/15 of Rahim's stickers = 1 unit
Mei Ling has 8 units; Rahim has 15 units
(a) fraction = 8/15
difference = 15 − 8 = 7 units
7 units = 84 stickers
1 unit = 84 ÷ 7 = 12 stickers
(b) Mei Ling's stickers = 8 × 12 = 96
Answer: (a) 8/15; (b) 96
For parents
How do you solve P5 equal fractions of two wholes questions?
Some fraction word problems say that a fraction of one group is the same amount as a fraction of a second group.
What your child learns here
Some fraction word problems say that a fraction of one group is the same amount as a fraction of a second group. This page teaches the unit method for them, applying the Primary 5 outcome on multiplying a fraction and a whole number to a two-group word problem.
The equal amount is the same in both groups, so it is drawn as 1 unit in each bar.
A group is as many units as its fraction's denominator: if one quarter of a group is the unit, the group is 4 units.
The units of the two groups are added or compared, and matched to the number the question gives.
One unit is found by division, then the group asked for is built from it.
Does the answer make sense?
When a fraction of one group equals a fraction of another, the group with the bigger fraction must be the smaller group. Three quarters is more than two fifths, so Mei Ling must have fewer stickers than Rahim, and your child's fraction for Mei Ling's number out of Rahim's must be below 1.
How to practise these questions
The questions here set a fraction of one child's total equal to a fraction of another's and give the gap between them. Your child first expresses one total as a fraction of the other, then uses that gap to find the value of one unit. Drawing two bars with the equal parts made the same size is the clearest route into the comparison. If your child stalls on it, watch that question's solution film and try it again later from Revision.
Questions parents ask
Does my child need to draw a bar model for these questions? A bar for each group, built from the same unit, makes the equal amount easy to see. The lesson on this page draws the bars, and the drawing also shows which group is which.
Is this type of question in the Primary 5 syllabus? It applies the Primary 5 outcome on multiplying a fraction and a whole number to a word problem. The syllabus names the outcome, not this question shape.
How can my child tell which group is bigger? When both equal amounts are one part, such as one third and one fifth, the group with the larger denominator is bigger. One fifth of a group is a smaller share, so that group needs more units to hold the same amount.
