5 Things You Need to Know Before Teaching Fraction Line Plots ... - Free Printable

We are given a dot plot (or line plot) showing the amount of rainwater collected by different classes, measured in cups. Each "x" represents one class that collected a certain amount of rainwater.

Our goal is to:

1. Find the total amount of rainwater collected by all classes.
2. Divide this total evenly among the number of classes that participated.
3. Calculate how much each class would get if the water were shared equally.

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Step 1: Understand the Data

The horizontal axis shows the amount of rainwater in cups, and each "x" above a value represents one class that collected that amount.

Let’s list the data from the graph:

- $ \frac{1}{8} $ cup: 1 class
- $ \frac{1}{4} $ cup: 1 class
- $ \frac{3}{8} $ cup: 1 class
- $ \frac{1}{2} $ cup: 2 classes
- $ \frac{5}{8} $ cup: 1 class
- $ \frac{3}{4} $ cup: 3 classes
- $ \frac{7}{8} $ cup: 0 classes (no x)
- $ 1 $ cup: 0 classes

Wait — let's carefully count the number of x's at each point:

From the graph:

- $ \frac{1}{8} $: 1 x
- $ \frac{1}{4} $: 1 x
- $ \frac{3}{8} $: 1 x
- $ \frac{1}{2} $: 2 x's
- $ \frac{5}{8} $: 1 x
- $ \frac{3}{4} $: 3 x's
- $ \frac{7}{8} $: 0
- $ 1 $: 0

So total number of classes =
$ 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 3 = 9 $ classes

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Step 2: Calculate Total Rainwater Collected

Now compute the total amount of rainwater:

$$
\begin{align*}
\text{Total} &= 1 \times \frac{1}{8} + 1 \times \frac{1}{4} + 1 \times \frac{3}{8} + 2 \times \frac{1}{2} + 1 \times \frac{5}{8} + 3 \times \frac{3}{4} \\
&= \frac{1}{8} + \frac{1}{4} + \frac{3}{8} + 2 \times \frac{1}{2} + \frac{5}{8} + 3 \times \frac{3}{4}
\end{align*}
$$

Now compute each term:

- $ \frac{1}{8} $
- $ \frac{1}{4} = \frac{2}{8} $
- $ \frac{3}{8} $
- $ 2 \times \frac{1}{2} = 1 $
- $ \frac{5}{8} $
- $ 3 \times \frac{3}{4} = \frac{9}{4} $

Now add them all together.

First, convert everything to eighths or find a common denominator.

Let’s use eighths for most:

- $ \frac{1}{8} $
- $ \frac{2}{8} $
- $ \frac{3}{8} $
- $ 1 = \frac{8}{8} $
- $ \frac{5}{8} $
- $ \frac{9}{4} = \frac{18}{8} $

Now sum:

$$
\frac{1}{8} + \frac{2}{8} + \frac{3}{8} + \frac{8}{8} + \frac{5}{8} + \frac{18}{8} = \frac{1+2+3+8+5+18}{8} = \frac{37}{8}
$$

So, total rainwater collected = $ \frac{37}{8} $ cups

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Step 3: Divide Equally Among 9 Classes

Now divide $ \frac{37}{8} $ cups by 9 classes:

$$
\frac{37}{8} \div 9 = \frac{37}{8} \times \frac{1}{9} = \frac{37}{72}
$$

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✔ Final Answer:

Each class would get $ \frac{37}{72} $ cups of rainwater.

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Optional: Convert to Decimal

$ \frac{37}{72} \approx 0.5139 $ cups

But since the question uses fractions, $ \boxed{\frac{37}{72}} $ cups is the exact answer.

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✔ Answer:

$$
\boxed{\frac{37}{72}} \text{ cups}
$$