Number (fractions): Hungry Caterpillar
The Problem
Terry, the spiky caterpillar, was busily munching his way through a leaf from the shape tree. As you can see from the picture opposite, the shape tree has unusually-shaped, identical leaves that are divided into triangles of equal size and shape. One morning, Terry ate half a leaf. That afternoon, he ate a further quarter of the original leaf. In the evening, he ate a further sixth of the original leaf.
At the same time, Larry the smooth caterpillar, was also munching his way through a leaf that belonged to the shape tree. The same morning, Larry ate a third of a leaf. In the afternoon, he ate another third of the original leaf. In the evening, he ate a further quarter of the original leaf.
Which caterpillar ate the most?
Did you know?
In contrast to the brightly-coloured adult peacock butterfly, its caterpillar is jet-black in colour and covered with small white spots. It has short spines, which help to protect it from predators.
Visualising the Problem and Getting Started
How many triangles of equal size and shape is each leaf divided into? Why is this important to know?
Qaali said, “To find half a leaf, I would divide 24 into 2 equal groups.” Do you agree with Qaali?
