Ever wondered where your pocket money goes?
Musa gets ₦6,000. He spends 13 on transport and then 12 of what is left on data bundles. Is that half of his money gone, or more? Fractions in real life often come in steps like this.
Revision notes
Use fractions to solve real problems about money, time, classmates and sharing — step by step.
Musa gets ₦6,000. He spends 13 on transport and then 12 of what is left on data bundles. Is that half of his money gone, or more? Fractions in real life often come in steps like this.
To find 25 of ₦4,000, divide by the denominator to find one part, then multiply by the numerator: ₦4,000 ÷ 5 = ₦800, and ₦800 × 2 = ₦1,600.
If 25 is spent, then 35 is left, because 55 is the whole. 35 of ₦4,000 = ₦2,400 — the same as ₦4,000 − ₦1,600.
Time works too: 1 hour = 60 minutes, so 45 minutes = 4560 = 34 of an hour.
🔑 Key idea: Divide by the denominator, multiply by the numerator.
Read carefully: "12 of what is left" is not the same as "12 of the money".
Musa: 13 of ₦6,000 = ₦2,000 on transport, leaving ₦4,000. Then 12 of ₦4,000 = ₦2,000 on data. He has ₦2,000 left.
When two fractions are both parts of the SAME whole, add them first and take the total from 1: 13 + 14 = 712 used, so 512 is left.
🔑 Key idea: Work in steps, and always ask: a fraction of WHAT?
Sometimes you know the part and need the whole. "35 of the club are boys, and there are 18 boys."
3 parts = 18, so 1 part = 18 ÷ 3 = 6. The whole is 5 parts = 6 × 5 = 30 members.
Check: 35 of 30 = 18. ✔
🔑 Key idea: Part known? Find one part first, then the whole.
Ada had ₦12,000. Ada spent 15 of it on foodstuff. How much money is left?
Step 1: Find 15 of ₦12,000
₦12,000 ÷ 5 = ₦2,400
₦2,400 × 1 = ₦2,400
Step 2: Take it away
₦12,000 − ₦2,400 = ₦9,600
Why? Check: 45 of ₦12,000 is also ₦9,600.
Answer: ₦9,600
Ready to check you've got it? Scroll up and work through the lesson: the interactive visuals, practice questions and mastery check are all there.