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Post by Arachis on Nov 9, 2005 10:54:33 GMT -5
Decimals can get just as annoying, but in a different way. Fractions are still easier to work with, especially if you have to get exact numbers. I mean come on, you can even get infinite repeating decimals (something thats impossible to work with) into a nice workable fraction. Fractions are only really bad if people dont simplify them. Otherwise they are usually pretty nice. Not to mention fractions are how you would say something out loud. Its hard to read out a decimal in normal english, while fractions are easy to say out loud. You never say "I have zero point seven three eight one two of a cake" but you could say "I have eighteen twentieths of a cake". 523/883 = 0.59229898074745186862967157417894....
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Post by Random on Nov 9, 2005 11:51:11 GMT -5
however fractions require a bit more knowledge to use comletely, whereas decimals are just numbers, and are used that way, so theres nothing else to know/remember
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Post by Arachis on Nov 9, 2005 20:15:35 GMT -5
if you dont know how to use fractions, you either never went to school in your life (and live in some poor 3rd world country, like Alabama) or you must be diagnosed with some kind of learning disorder(like stupidity).
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Post by Evilduck on Nov 9, 2005 22:23:08 GMT -5
There are fractions that can get pretty ugly (I mean when there are fractions within fractions, and the smaller fractions have variables and arithmetic in them)
But after Alg 2 H. I got those down so it's all cool.
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Post by Arachis on Nov 9, 2005 22:27:30 GMT -5
but those would be even more ugly if they were decimals wouldnt they?
5.(x)36(x^2)772459(x/2)
The only reason that those are ugly is because you have to use the fraction to solve a different problem. doing algebra with decimals would be impossible, plus its nearly impossible to see any patterns with decimals.
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Post by Hans Lemurson on Nov 9, 2005 22:59:19 GMT -5
There are fractions that can get pretty ugly (I mean when there are fractions within fractions, and the smaller fractions have variables and arithmetic in them) Big fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em, and little fleas have lesser fleas and so ad infinitum. If you want fractions within fractions, try writing down the calculations for the equivalent resistance of a bunch of resistors in series and parallel. I am personally about equally comfortable with fraction or decimals, I do mental calculations with both of them; some situations are easier for one than the other. I find i can't properly understand the magnitude of numbers though unless they are in decimal form.
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Post by Random on Nov 9, 2005 23:19:43 GMT -5
if you dont know how to use fractions, you either never went to school in your life (and live in some poor 3rd world country, like Alabama) or you must be diagnosed with some kind of learning disorder(like stupidity). excuse me if this is offensive, but thats a hilariously dumb argument, if its even an argument my point wasn't that people don't know, my point is, why the eff would you go through all the trouble to learn this complex way of putting together a chair when you can just put it together without any further knowledge and have it function and look exactly the same in the end?
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Post by Arachis on Nov 9, 2005 23:46:58 GMT -5
if thats your argument, then in that case its a flawed one. If you put a chair together without the knowledge, its nice to look at, but will fall down if you try and sit on it. Similarly, if you attempt to do mathamatics without fractions (or a good calculator, but someone has to know enough about fractions to program the calculator) you will fail miserably, since really fractions are equatable with division, and you cant get through mathamtics without division. While decimals are nice to look at, and see what kind of number your dealing with, they really arent useful.
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Post by Random on Nov 9, 2005 23:55:42 GMT -5
did you even really read what i said?
WHY learn something that is unnecesary to learn currently, fractions need not be used in most cases, and in those cases in their place you can use simple decimals that you ALREADY KNOW how to work with
the only time i can think of when a fraction is more useful is when you're doing something scientific and require a very specific answer, in which case those with more extensive training than the average person generally would be the only people who needed to really know all that much about fractions, as easy as they are. while they have that application, in other cases there really is no need to take the extra steps
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Post by BlueDolphin on Nov 10, 2005 0:27:13 GMT -5
Fractions, if they can be kept (not irrational), are better for the calculation part of a equation. At the very end, divide the fractions and round for the most precise decimal answer.
I think that some cases, it is better when you have fractions with dealing with fractions. For example if you have x/x+2 multiplied by one half, then 1/2 is better than 0.5 in the numerator since you can just multiply the 2 into the lower part of the expression.
Decimals are useful when multiplying terms across a line mainly because they don't take up space underneath the line you are writing on. Of course, if the decimal is long or irrational, then this might not be a good choice.
Lastly, fractions sometimes have a higher rate of human error in graphing calculators since it is easier to forget a parenthesis and still get a valid answer whereas this is less likely to occur with decimals. (of course, if one is careful, this isn't an issue)
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Post by Arachis on Nov 10, 2005 8:40:19 GMT -5
the thing is is fractions are just as essential to math as division, since in reality, they are the one and the same, so if, when you say that you think people dont need to learn fractions, just decimals, you essentially are saying that people dont need to learn division either. And if they dont learn division, Im assuming they dont learn multiplication. I dont know what kind of math you plan to do without division or multiplication.
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Post by Random on Nov 10, 2005 12:49:30 GMT -5
that was foolish
fractions are NOT as essential as division, saying that they are the same is kind of pathetic since you don't really need to turn a division into a fraction, just keep it as a division
additionally, you don't LEARN how to use decimals, they're the same as a simple number, which is why i'm saying they're far easier
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Post by Evilduck on Nov 11, 2005 1:10:21 GMT -5
Actually I learned to use decimals in school. They are quite a bit more complicated than simple numbers because it is hard to imagine them. (in fact fractions are easier to imagine because of pies).
Also, people aren't born knowing how to use simple numbers, you learn how to use numbers in school just like you learn how to use decimals (and decimals are usualy taught later)
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Post by Random on Nov 11, 2005 1:15:46 GMT -5
a decimal is the exact same format as any integer, it is only neccesary to understand what they represent, not how to manipulate them differently. they are manipulated in THE SAME WAY (integers and decimals)
and no shit people aren't born knowing how to use simple numbers, but they sure as hell aren't born knowing how to use fractions or decimals and both require knowledge of integers first, and decimals are easier to grasp as there is less understanding required to manipulate them properly
and lastly, pi is not complicated. it is simply a decimal without end, there is no need to know much beyond that and its applications, and its applications do not really qualify as "understanding decimals", by that logic you would need to know every single formula that could have a fraction in it to actually understand them
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Post by Evilduck on Nov 11, 2005 1:20:33 GMT -5
First off, I meant actual pies that people eat. It is easy to visualize 1/2 a pie or 1/3 of a pie, but harder to see .5 of a pie or .3333333333333.... of a pie.
And you are wrong, to manipulate decimals you need to learn special rules. You may not think that because by now those rules have become second nature, but if you tell a ten-year-old to multiply 4 * .5 he will look at you funny even if he knows what decimals are.
I agree that fractions have more special rules than decimals, but the fact that they are easier to visualize makes them easier to learn.
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