By cutting a pie into 6 equal pieces and taking one away, what mathematical concept is introduced?

By cutting a pie into 6 equal pieces and taking one away, what mathematical concept is introduced?

• A. Fractions
• B. Decimals
• C. Ratios
• D. Probability

Answer: (A)

When a pie is cut into 6 equal pieces and one piece is taken away, the situation introduces the concept of fractions. This is because each piece represents a fraction of the whole pie. Specifically, if you take one piece from the six, you are left with 5 out of the 6 pieces, symbolically represented as the fraction \( \frac{5}{6} \). The fraction encapsulates the notion that part of a whole has been removed and allows for the comparison between the part taken and the total, solidifying the understanding of how we express portions of a whole. In contrast, decimals represent a different way to express quantities, often in base ten, and ratios compare two quantities directly. Probability relates to the likelihood of an event occurring within a defined sample space. While all these concepts are important in mathematics, the action of taking a part from a whole after dividing it into equal segments is directly illustrative of fractions.

When a pie is cut into 6 equal pieces and one piece is taken away, the situation introduces the concept of fractions. This is because each piece represents a fraction of the whole pie. Specifically, if you take one piece from the six, you are left with 5 out of the 6 pieces, symbolically represented as the fraction ( \frac{5}{6} ). The fraction encapsulates the notion that part of a whole has been removed and allows for the comparison between the part taken and the total, solidifying the understanding of how we express portions of a whole.

In contrast, decimals represent a different way to express quantities, often in base ten, and ratios compare two quantities directly. Probability relates to the likelihood of an event occurring within a defined sample space. While all these concepts are important in mathematics, the action of taking a part from a whole after dividing it into equal segments is directly illustrative of fractions.