Submarine maths quest: fractions

Quick answer

You can use fractions to share food, treasure, or maps equally between people or parts of a submarine. Fractions help you split things into equal parts, like ½ (half), ¼ (quarter), or ⅓ (third).

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to split food, maps, or treasure into equal parts using fractions, like sharing 12 cookies between 4 friends or dividing a treasure map into 3 equal pieces.

• You can show equal parts of a whole using fractions like ½, ¼, ⅓
• You can split a group of things into equal parts
• You can explain how many parts each person gets when sharing
• You can use real-life examples like food or treasure to show fractions

Why this matters

Fractions help you share fairly. When you're on a submarine or in a game, you might need to split food, treasure, or a map into equal parts. Fractions help you make sure everyone gets the same amount. This is useful in real life, too – like when you split a pizza or divide your pocket money!

How it works

Fractions are parts of a whole. If you have a pizza and cut it into 4 equal pieces, each piece is ¼ (one quarter) of the pizza. If you have 6 cookies and want to share them between 2 friends, each friend gets 3 cookies, which is 6 ÷ 2 = 3. That’s 3 out of 6 cookies, or ½ of the cookies.

1. First, count how many things you have
2. Then, decide how many people or parts you need to share with
3. Divide the total by the number of parts
4. Each part is a fraction of the whole

Examples you can see

Imagine you're on a submarine and you have 12 fish to share equally between 3 crew members. You can split the fish into 3 equal groups. Each group has 4 fish. So each person gets 4 out of 12 fish, which is 4/12 or simplified to ⅓.

Let’s say you have a treasure map that is 16 inches wide and you want to split it into 4 equal parts. Each part is 16 ÷ 4 = 4 inches wide. So each piece is ¼ of the whole map.

Try it as a mini adventure

Submarine Maths Quest: The Hidden Treasure

You are on a submarine deep under the ocean. You have found a treasure map that is 20 inches long. You need to split it into 5 equal parts to give to your 5 crew members. How long will each piece be?

4th time: ? inches

Each piece is 20 ÷ 5 = 4 inches long. So each person gets ¼ of the map.

Next, you find 18 pieces of treasure. You want to share them equally among 6 crew members. How many pieces does each person get?

5th time: ? pieces

Each person gets 18 ÷ 6 = 3 pieces. So each person gets 3/18 or simplified to ½ of the treasure.

Finally, you have 24 sandwiches to share between 3 friends. How many sandwiches does each friend get?

6th time: ? sandwiches

Each friend gets 24 ÷ 3 = 8 sandwiches. So each friend gets 8/24 or simplified to ⅓ of the sandwiches.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: Thinking 12 ÷ 4 = 3, but getting 12 ÷ 3 = 4 instead.
• Why it happens: Mixing up which number is the total and which is the number of parts.
• Fix: Always double-check that you are dividing the total by the number of people or parts.
• Mistake: Thinking ½ means one half of the whole, but not understanding that it’s 1 part out of 2 equal parts.
• Why it happens: Confusing the idea of a fraction with just a number.
• Fix: Use real objects like pizza or chocolate to show how ½ means one part from two equal parts.
• Mistake: Not simplifying fractions like 4/8 to ½.
• Why it happens: Not knowing that 4 is half of 8, or that both numbers can be divided by the same number.
• Fix: Look for the biggest number that goes into both the top and bottom of the fraction.

Parent and carer guide

Help your child understand fractions by using everyday examples like sharing food or dividing a cake. Ask them to explain how they split something into equal parts. Encourage them to use drawings or real objects to show their thinking. For example, if you have 10 cookies and 2 people, you can ask: “How many cookies does each person get?” Then help them write it as a fraction like 5/10 or simplified to ½.

• Use physical objects like counters, blocks, or food to show equal parts
• Ask your child to explain how they share something fairly
• Encourage them to draw pictures of fractions
• Play games where you split things into equal parts
• Don’t worry if they make mistakes – that’s part of learning

Practice questions

1. There are 12 fish to share between 4 people. How many fish does each person get? What fraction is that?
2. You have 15 pieces of treasure to share between 3 friends. How many pieces does each friend get? What fraction is that?
3. A map is 24 inches long. You split it into 6 equal parts. How long is each part? What fraction is that?
4. You have 18 cookies to share between 6 people. How many cookies does each person get? What fraction is that?
5. There are 20 sandwiches to share between 5 people. How many sandwiches does each person get? What fraction is that?

• 12 ÷ 4 = 3 fish, 3/12 = ¼
• 15 ÷ 3 = 5 pieces, 5/15 = ⅓
• 24 ÷ 6 = 4 inches, 4/24 = ⅙
• 18 ÷ 6 = 3 cookies, 3/18 = ⅙
• 20 ÷ 5 = 4 sandwiches, 4/20 = ⅕

FAQ

What does a fraction mean?

A fraction shows how many parts of something you have. For example, ½ means one part out of two equal parts.

How do you share something into equal parts?

Divide the total number by the number of people or parts. For example, 10 ÷ 2 = 5, so each person gets 5 out of 10.

Why do we use fractions?

Fractions help us share things fairly. They are used in cooking, splitting treasure, dividing maps, and many other situations.

Can fractions be simplified?

Yes! If both the top and bottom numbers can be divided by the same number, you can simplify the fraction. For example, 4/8 = ½.

What is the easiest way to learn fractions?

Use real objects like food, counters, or drawings. Practice sharing things equally and talk about what fraction you get each time.