Recognise and find a half

What is a fraction?

A fraction tells you how many parts of a whole you have. Fractions are shown by having one number on top of another, for example:

There are two parts to a fraction:

The number on top, called the numerator, shows how many parts you have (1 in this example).
The number on the bottom, called the denominator, shows how many parts something has been divided equally into (2 in this example).

A half, or \( \frac{1}{2} \), means '1 part of something that has been divided into 2 equal parts'.

If you add two halves together you get one whole.

\( \frac{1}{2} \) + \( \frac{1}{2} = 1\)

Listen to this fun song to learn more about halves.

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When finding half of an amount, it is the same as dividing by 2.

Instead of drawing an array for larger numbers, which would take a very long time, use your 2 times-table instead.

What is half of 22

How many 2s are in 22?

22 ÷ 2 = 11

What is half of 44?

It could take you a while to count up in twos until you reached 44, but you can still easily divide using Base 10 sticks.

Here is 44 in base 10:

Now share the 44 into 2 equal groups:

Half of 44 is 22.

What is half of 62?

You can use Base 10 to help you again.

Now share the sticks and cubes into two equal groups:

Half of 64 is 32.