Unit form is a general term that describes the method students use to solve algebraic equations. They compare the two solutions and choose the one that makes the closest match.
It was developed as a way to introduce algebra to young students without requiring too much background knowledge. This is helpful, since many students struggle with this subject.
As a third grade math teacher, you may be familiar with unit form if your class uses it. It is typically used for determining the area of a rectangular matrix or determining whether two matrices are identical.
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Examples of unit form
In 3rd grade math, unit form is a familiar concept. In unit form, you look at a group of items and think about how many of them you would need to make the item or things needed.
When you need new clothes, new shoes, and new books to help with your self-confidence are examples of new items. When you need a DVD set to watch movies on your learning path, the new books help with that too.
New technologies coming out that aren’t fully developed yet may not have unit form. You have to think about how many units of things you have, because there may be missing units.
Similarity between unit form and fraction forms
Both unit form and fraction forms have a similar look to them. Both include a denominator, and both include a numerator.
The difference is in what is included in each form and what is excluded. In fraction forms, the excluded element is the term as a whole.
In unit forms, the element that is excluded is not necessarily a decimal, but could be an integer. For example, 10 units may be included as one unit, while 1 unit does not appear to be represented.
Unit forms are more useful than fraction forms when it comes to understanding how large things are or how they relate to other things. When comparing two large things, you would use unit forms so that you can compare them with only one of them having an equal size part.
Understanding the numerator
In 3rd grade math, there is a concept called unit form. Unit form is when the elements in a composition are equal.
Using unit form, you can create a line of soldiers moving toward one another in unison. You can use them to create a circle or square, or even add some text around it.
The equation for unit form is: molecules x quantity of molecules x distance between molecules. For example, if there were two molecules of water traveling at a certain speed, then two gallons of water would travel at this speed.
This concept can be hard for young children to understand. If your child does not yet know how to calculate volume or measure distances, then using unit form could be helpful.
Unit form is when the elements in a composition are equal.
Understanding the denominator
In addition to knowing the average, you can know the fractionated, or inverse-average-average form of a number.
The fractionated form of a number means that when the number is divided by a larger number, you find out what that larger number was like and how much it was like that smaller amount.
For example, 5 is like an enormous amount of 14, so when you divide 5 by 14, you get 1/14 of 14, or .14.
When you divide .14 by 14, you find out that 1/14 of those large numbers are actually equal to 4/14 of 14—that is, 4/14 of 14 is .14.
Understanding the inverse-average-average form of a number helps in understanding the average and inverse average forms of numbers. It can be applied to both positive and negative numbers.
Multiply the entire unit form by 1
When dividing a unit form into pieces, called fractions, the answer is to multiply the unit form by one fraction.
For example, if a unit form was equal to four dollars, then when divided into one dollar, the answer is four dollars. By multiplying by one dollar, the answer becomes four dollars.
When multiplying a unit form by one fraction, the answer is always cut in half. For example, when dividing a fund raising project into thirds, the third of the project must be cut in half of what it is usually worth in order for it to work.
This concept applies even when working with units of time or things. For example, working with only three hours per day does not allow for an eight-hour day, so each piece of work must be cut in half to keep time and project size consistent.
Divide the entire unit form by 1
When dividing a quantity by a whole, 1 becomes the most common result. Many third grade math textbooks offer this as a tip.
Many of the older math textbooks do not have this tip, and students must be aware of how to divide fractions by one and one hundred. This can be tricky at times, so having this tip is helpful.
When dividing a quantity by a fraction, the numerator must be divided into thirds and the denominator must be left untouched. This is due to the fact that if you take away one part of the fraction, then the entire answer will change.
Know how to convert between different types of fractions
In third grade math, you need to be able to convert between fractions and continuous percent.
Fractionation is the process of dividing an entire object or situation into smaller parts. For instance, let’s say you are measuring the height of an article of clothing. You would start with a square, then a pie slice, then an inch, and finally a foot. This process varies slightly for other fractional units such as the centimeter and the yard, but the end result is the same- a measurement that is reduced to one part in a large number of things.
Continuous percentiles are used to identify children who are on par with other families but below what level. Using some data from our national census, schools can determine their continuous percentiles.
Using these new unit systems in class, know how to reduce mixed units into single values.
Apply knowledge of fractions to real-world situations
When you look at a food product, what do you really know about it? Do you know how many grams of the food item there are in the product?
You may think there are half-a-cupfuls of the food item per package, but do you know they can be consumed in small or large quantities?
Just because a food item appears to be a certain size doesn’t mean it is always that size. Some people may use small amounts of the food item and/or others may not.
Knowing this, dieters might decide to stick with smaller foods to reduce weight loss resistance. Instead of cutting out half of a cup (of the dieting food) per day, they could cut out one small section of the dieting food each day.
This is an example of knowing unit form in 3rd grade math. Knowing how to apply knowledge of fractions to real-world situations helps raise awareness for those who need to stay in control as they eat their diets.