Math Story : Fractions, Decimals And Percentages On A Number Line

Mission Europa

“This is the worst data I have ever seen. If this continues, there will be no water left on earth. The life on earth is in danger. We need to do something”, says Uncle Math. “I am shocked too. The rate at which the water is reducing on earth, is definitely a cause of concern”, says Uncle Science.

Due to the misuse of water by humans in the past, there is an extremely small amount of drinkable water left in the natural bodies that can be used for sustaining life on earth. What will Uncle Science and Uncle Math do now?

“I found the presence on one of the natural satellites of Jupiter named Europa. Before things go out of hand, we should launch an operation to get water from Europa”, suggests Uncle Science. Uncle Math agrees and together they plan on how can they execute this operation.

“Alright! To make this fast and useful, we will use my special spacecraft that I had designed years ago. It is equipped with advanced research gadgets”, suggests Uncle Science. Uncle Math agrees with him.

Soon, they board the spacecraft and are ready to begin their operation. Swoosh! The spacecraft starts. Uncle Math, Uncle Science, and Triho are excited yet nervous. This mission’s success is important to save the planet.

“So where are we going first?” asks Triho. “As per my research, there are some traces of water on an Europa. So we are going there first”, says Uncle Science. He enters the destination and the monitor shows a journey map.

As the journey begins, the monitor displays the live path. “Oh wow! The map looks interesting. Is it showing the distance we have covered? asks Triho. “Yes, dear. The map is also showing us how much of the journey is left too”, explains Uncle Science.

“But how? What are these numbers indicating?” questions curious Triho. “Observe the map and the route carefully. What do you see?” asks Uncle Math. “Oh yes! The route resembles a number line. A number line that is divided into 10 equal parts. The line begins at 0 and ends at 1. The smaller parts in between are labelled 1/10, 2/10, 3/10 so on upto 1”, he answers.

“So smart! You are absolutely right. What else do you notice?” questions Uncle Math. “I notice that 1/10 is also labelled as 0.1 and 10%. Similarly, 2/10 is 0.2 and 20%. Why different representations? Is there a connection between these?” asks Triho.

“Yes, there is. When I divide 1/10, I get 0.1 as the answer. 0.1 further converted to percentages gives 10% as the answer. Percentages are well suited to indicate how much of the journey is completed. Right now we are at 1/10, which means we
have completed only 10% of the journey. Still, there is a long way to go”, explains Uncle Math.

Triho is astonished. He decides to observe the route even more closely now. “Look! We have reached 2/10. That means 20% of the journey is completed. Correct?” he says. Uncle Science and Uncle math agree with him.

Soon they reach 5/10 points on the route. Can you guess how much of the journey have they completed now?

Yes, 50% of the journey is already completed. Uncle Science seems worried, hoping for his research to be true.

60%, 80%, and 90%, soon they cross these points. Can you write the decimal and fraction representations of these on the number line?

“90% journey competed. That means we are very close to satellite Europa. Wohoo!” says excited Triho. Uncle Math and Uncle Science are apprehensive yet optimistic about it.

“Destination arrived!” announces the distance meter. Can you guess how much of the journey have they completed?

100%! Absolutely right! Since 10 out of 10 parts are covered, the entire journey is covered which means 100%. Triho, Uncle Math, and Uncle Science are all ready to walk out of the elevator. Will they really find water on satellite Europa?

As they land on the Europa, Uncle Science spots a thick ice layer all around. The land is cold and there is no trace of water yet. “This is bad! Can’t believe this”, says disappointed Uncle Science. Is there no liquid water here really?

“No! Uncle Science. Your research is not wrong. Look there, I can spot a small water body. That means there is liquid water here. Let us rush there and find out”, says Uncle Math. Hearing this Uncle Science is elated. All of them are hopeful.

They run quickly to get close to the water body. Will they find liquid water here?

“Oh my goodness! I can’t believe my eyes!” says Uncle Science. “So much liquid water! Hurrah! We will be able to save our planet now”, says Triho. As they get close, they find a lot of liquid water hidden under a thick layer of ice. They jump with joy.

“We will save our planet! We did it”, says Uncle Math. They jump, sing, and dance to celebrate this moment. They decide to carry the water to Earth through Uncle Science’s advanced technology. This is amazing.

Everybody learnt their lessons and started using water more carefully. Uncle Science and Uncle Math are at peace now. Planet Earth is back to normal. Everybody is living happily. “The data indicate a sufficient amount of water to sustain now”, says Uncle Science. Triho is extremely proud of his teachers. It has been a long yet peaceful journey towards sustainability.

We Learnt That…

The easiest way to plot decimals and percentages on the number line is to convert them into their respective fractions.
The scarcity of water is a real problem on Earth. So we should use water very carefully.

Let’s Discuss

How did we decide to go to Europa?
How did the distance meter show the journey?
Draw your own number line of a journey and plot fractions, decimals and percentages.
Do you waste water? Have you taken any measures to avoid water wastage?