Cutting shapes into equal parts | Math | 3rd grade | Khan Academy

Is each piece equal to one-fourth of the area of the pie? So we have a pie, and it has one, two, three, four pieces. So it does have four pieces. So is one of those pieces equal to one-fourth of the pie?

Well, let's talk about what we mean when we have a fraction like one-fourth. The "one" in the fraction, the numerator, represents the number of pieces. So here, one piece, one piece of pie. And then the "four," when we're talking about fractions, is always talking about the number of equal size, equal size pieces.

So in this case, four equal sized pieces. So, the question is: is each piece one of four equal sized pieces? Let's look at the pie. I think it's pretty clear that these pieces on the end are not equal. They are smaller than the two pieces in the middle.

If you love cherry pie, you are not happy about getting this end piece because it is smaller. It is not an equal sized piece. So yes, each piece is one out of four pieces, but it is not one of four equal sized pieces. Therefore, it is not one-fourth.

So our answer is no, no, no, no. Each piece is not one-fourth or an equal share of the pie.