What is 3/7 Chicken, 2/3 Cat, and 2/4 Goat? Deciphering Fractional Animal Puzzles

Fractional animal puzzles like “What is 3/7 chicken, 2/3 cat, and 2/4 goat?” have become popular brain teasers. At first glance, they may seem nonsensical or confusing. However, with some basic math skills, these puzzles can easily be solved. In this article, we’ll break down the steps for deciphering fractional animal puzzles using the example “What is 3/7 chicken, 2/3 cat, and 2/4 goat?”.

Understanding the Puzzle Format

Fractional animal puzzles follow a simple format:

• There are one or more fractions listed
• Each fraction is associated with an animal
• The fractions represent part of that animal

For example, “3/7 chicken” indicates we have 3/7 of a whole chicken

To find out how many whole animals we have, we need to use the fractional parts that were given.

Step 1: Convert the Fractions to Decimal Values

To solve these puzzles, we first need to convert the fractions to decimals. This will allow us to work with precise numerical values rather than fractional parts

Here are the decimal conversions:

• 3/7 chicken = 0.42857 chicken
• 2/3 cat = 0.66667 cat
• 2/4 goat = 0.5 goat

Converting to decimals makes the values easier to visualize and calculate with

Step 2: Scale the Decimal Values to Represent Whole Animals

Next, we’ll scale up the decimal values to represent whole animals.

To do this, we divide 1 by the decimal value:

• 0.42857 chicken × (1/0.42857) = 1 chicken
• 0.66667 cat × (1/0.66667) = 1.5 cats
• 0.5 goat × (1/0.5) = 1 goat

This gives us the number of whole animals for each fractional part.

Step 3: Add the Whole Animals Together

Now we can simply add up the whole animals:

• 1 chicken
• 1.5 cats
• 1 goat

Therefore, the total is 1 chicken, 1.5 cats, and 1 goat.

Okay, now we know how to easily solve fractional animal puzzles just by following these steps.

Examples of Other Fractional Animal Puzzles

Let’s look at a few more examples to demonstrate how this process works:

Puzzle: What is 2/3 squirrel, 3/5 bunny, and 5/9 duck?

Step 1: Convert to decimals

• 2/3 squirrel = 0.66667 squirrel
• 3/5 bunny = 0.6 bunny
• 5/9 duck = 0.55556 duck

Step 2: Scale to whole animals

• 0.66667 squirrel × (1/0.66667) = 1 squirrel
• 0.6 bunny × (1/0.6) = 1.66667 bunnies
• 0.55556 duck × (1/0.55556) = 1.8 ducks

Step 3: Add the whole animals

• 1 squirrel
• 1.66667 bunnies
• 1.8 ducks

Answer: 1 squirrel, 1 bunny, and 2 ducks

Let’s try one more:

Puzzle: What is 1/4 cow, 2/3 pig, and 3/8 sheep?

Following the same process, the answer is 1 cow, 1 pig, and 1 sheep.

Why Use Fractions in Animal Puzzles?

Some people may wonder why these animal puzzles use fractions instead of just giving whole animal counts. There are a few reasons:

• Fractions make the puzzles more mathematically interesting and challenging. They require an extra step of conversion and calculation.

• The use of fractional parts allows more flexibility in coming up with puzzle combinations and permutations. Any fractions from 0 to 1 can be used.

• Imagining fractional animals sparks our visual creativity. We have to visually represent part of an animal, like 3/4 of a giraffe’s neck and spots.

• Fractions reinforce fundamental math concepts in an applied, real-world way. Solving these puzzles is good practice for fractional fluency.

So in short, fractions add an extra layer of stimulation and education to these animal puzzles.

Tips for Solving Fractional Animal Puzzles

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when tackling fractional animal brain teasers:

• Always convert the fractions to decimal values first. Avoid trying to work with the fractions themselves.

• Be careful to scale the decimals properly to whole animals. Dividing by the decimal, not multiplying, gives you whole animals.

• Write down each step to keep your work organized. These puzzles become harder to solve mentally as more animals and fractions are added.

• Double check your math. Silly mistakes can easily happen when working with multiple fractional conversions and additions.

• Start with simpler puzzles before working up to more complex ones with more fractions and animals. Build your skills and confidence first.

• Enjoy the process! Fractional animal puzzles are meant to be fun brain training exercises, not tedious math homework.

With practice, these puzzles can be mastered by students of any age. They provide entertaining and meaningful practice working with fractions, decimals, proportions, visualization, and logical thinking. Learning math by figuring out chickens and cats is far more fun than textbook equations. Give your brain a workout and delight your inner child by tackling some fractional animal puzzles today!