Calculate Total Pizzas: Four Children Each Eating Half a Pizza

Q: Why do I multiply 4 times 1/2 instead of adding them?

You multiply because each of the 4 children eats the same amount ($ \frac{1}{2} $ pizza). Multiplication finds the total when you have equal groups: 4 groups of $ \frac{1}{2} $ pizza each.

Q: How do I multiply a whole number by a fraction?

Multiply the whole number by the numerator, then divide by the denominator. So 4 × $ \frac{1}{2} $ = $ \frac{4 × 1}{2} $ = $ \frac{4}{2} $ = 2.

Q: Can I think of this problem differently?

Absolutely! You can think: "Two halves make one whole, so four halves make two wholes." Both methods give the same answer!

Q: What if each child ate a different fraction of pizza?

Then you'd add the fractions instead of multiplying! For example: $ \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{3} + \frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{6} $. But here, since everyone eats the same amount, we multiply.

Q: Why isn't the answer 4 pizzas?

Because each child only eats half a pizza, not a whole pizza! If each child ate 1 whole pizza, then 4 children would eat 4 pizzas total.

Fraction Multiplication with Real-World Applications

Four children go to a restaurant to eat pizza.

Each child eats half a pizza.

How many pizzas do the children eat in total?

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Step-by-step video solution

Watch the teacher solve the problem with clear explanations

00:00 How many pizza trays were eaten in total?

00:03 There are 4 children according to the data

00:06 Each child eats half a tray according to the data

00:10 We'll multiply these values to find the total pizza trays

00:14 We'll bring up the multiplication to the numerator

00:21 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution

Understand the problem

Four children go to a restaurant to eat pizza.

Each child eats half a pizza.

How many pizzas do the children eat in total?

Step-by-step solution

To solve this problem, let's proceed step by step:

Step 1: Identify the given information:
We know that there are 4 children and each child eats $\frac{1}{2}$ pizza.
Step 2: Apply the formula:
We use the formula: Total pizza consumed = Number of children × Amount of pizza per child. Here, this is $4 \times \frac{1}{2}$ .
Step 3: Perform the calculation:
Calculate $4 \times \frac{1}{2} = \frac{4}{2} = 2$ .

Conclusion:
The total number of pizzas consumed by the children is $2$ .

Final Answer

$2$

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic

Rule: Total equals number of items times amount per item
Technique: Calculate 4 × $\frac{1}{2}$ = $\frac{4}{2}$ = 2
Check: Four halves make two wholes: $\frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{2} = 2$ ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors

Adding the number of children to the fraction eaten
Don't calculate 4 + $\frac{1}{2}$ = 4.5 pizzas! This adds children and pizza amounts incorrectly. Always multiply the number of children by the amount each child eats.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

$2\times\frac{5}{7}=$

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Why do I multiply 4 times 1/2 instead of adding them?

You multiply because each of the 4 children eats the same amount ( $\frac{1}{2}$ pizza). Multiplication finds the total when you have equal groups: 4 groups of $\frac{1}{2}$ pizza each.

How do I multiply a whole number by a fraction?

Multiply the whole number by the numerator, then divide by the denominator. So 4 × $\frac{1}{2}$ = $\frac{4 × 1}{2}$ = $\frac{4}{2}$ = 2.

Can I think of this problem differently?

Absolutely! You can think: "Two halves make one whole, so four halves make two wholes." Both methods give the same answer!

What if each child ate a different fraction of pizza?

Then you'd add the fractions instead of multiplying! For example: $\frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{3} + \frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{6}$ . But here, since everyone eats the same amount, we multiply.

Why isn't the answer 4 pizzas?

Because each child only eats half a pizza, not a whole pizza! If each child ate 1 whole pizza, then 4 children would eat 4 pizzas total.

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