General Description

Customize your practice, solving to percentages or to decimals. The Fraction-O-Meter will report if you are "close enough" to your choice of tolerance, (e.g., within 0.0001, 0.0005, 0.001, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02 or 0.05), for results showing two, three or four decimal places. (Percentages will show as whole numbers only.)

Modes

• Estimate Percentages
• Estimate Decimals

Directions

Estimate the value of the fraction

• Consider the relationship between the numbers shown, visualizing how large or small an area to create on the meter
  • Is the fraction close to one? Close to zero? Close to one-half?
  • Do the numbers have a common factor?
  • Is the denominator a factor of 100 (or close to a factor 100)?
• To reduce the fraction to lowest terms:
  • tap the "Reduce" button
  • Choose a factor from the grid of prime numbers
• Tap in the area of your guess, or tap and drag on the meter to move the value bar
• The resulting number of you tap will display on the left side of the value bar
• Check your result by tapping the "Check" button

If the number doesn't match a correct result, it may report that your result is within the "close enough" allowance set in preferences

Try several methods, (e.g., doing the division in your mind, visualizing the portion and tapping in steps of halves, quarters, tenths, etc.)

After reaching the correct number, you can then select "New" to get a new numerator.

Preferences

• Choose the denominator
• Choose the precision, (i.e., how many decimal places to show)
  • For small screens, beware of four-digit decimals
     (see below, "Tap, drag and roll"
• Choose the "Close enough" allowance
  • For small screens, choose a larger setting
     (see below, "Tap, drag and roll"

Helpful Hint

Tap, drag and roll

If you find it difficult to stay steady on a four-digit decimal while lifting your finger from the display, try rolling your finger off the right edge of the meter, instead of lifting it.