Partitioning Shapes into Halves & Fourths — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A shape divided into 2 equal parts is split into halves.
Two equal parts of any shape are always called halves, because "half" is the name for 1 of 2 equal pieces.
2. A shape divided into 4 equal parts is split into fourths.
Four equal parts of a shape are named fourths, because each piece is 1 out of 4 equal pieces.
3. One half means there are two equal parts.
The word "half" tells us the shape was split into 2 equal parts, so one half is 1 of those 2 pieces.
4. One fourth means there are four equal parts.
"Fourth" comes from the number four, meaning the shape is cut into 4 equal parts and one fourth is 1 of them.
5. Two halves equal one whole shape.
Putting 2 halves together rebuilds the full shape with no pieces missing, which is the whole.
6. Four fourths equal one whole shape.
All 4 fourths joined together make 4 out of 4 parts, which is the complete whole shape.
7. Each part must be the same size to be equal.
Equal parts means the pieces are the same size — if one piece is bigger, the parts are not equal.
8. A line through the center of a circle makes two halves.
A straight line through the middle of a circle creates 2 equal pieces, which are halves.
9. A square can be cut into fourths using two lines.
It takes 2 lines (one up-down and one side-to-side) to cut a square into 4 equal fourths.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Half
→ 2 equal pieces
2 equal pieces
Fourth
→ 4 equal pieces
4 equal pieces
Whole
→ All parts together
All parts together
Equal parts
→ Same size pieces
Same size pieces
Half pairs with 2 equal pieces and fourth pairs with 4 equal pieces because those numbers tell how many parts the shape is split into; a whole is all parts joined together and equal parts must be the same size.