Fractions: How We Use Them in the     Real World

          There were many times I sat in math class asking myself, when am I going to need this in life? Why do I need to learn this stuff? As I’ve come to learn, math is an essential skill that I use every day, for example yesterday, when I decided I wanted to make cookies for an employee party.

          The wind was fiercely blowing, and the air was brisk, it was the perfect day to stay in the house and bake some warm, chewy chocolate chip cookies. The recipe that I followed is posted below: https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18476/original-nestle-toll-house-chocolate-chip-cookies/

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)                          

         

*The first thing I did was preheat my oven to 375 degrees

*The next step was to mix the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl, but I decided I wanted to double my recipe, and this is where my knowledge of fractions is required. In order to double my recipe each ingredient in the recipe will need to be doubled

*The first ingredient the recipe calls for is 2 ¼ cups of flower.

2 ¼ x 2 =

2 ¼ x 2/1=

The first fraction we focus on is the 2 ¼

The 4 is multiplied by the 2 too equal 6, and then add the numerator (1) too equal 7, the original numerator will stay the same in the end result, which would be 7/4. 

The 7/4 is then multiplied by the 2/1 straight across

7/4 x 2/1 = 14/4, we end up with an improper fraction that needs to be changed back into a mixed number, to do this we need to divide.

14 goes into 4, 3 times, the 2 is carried, and the 4 becomes the denominator. The end result looks like this, 3 2/4

*I followed these same steps to figure out how much of each ingredient I needed in order to double my cookie recipe.

*I mixed my sugars, vanilla, and butter in another bowl. The eggs were then added one by one, next the flower was mixed in. The final step is to add the chocolate chips. 

*Put your cookies in the oven, and wait to enjoy!

             

This recipe makes 5 dozen cookies before doubling it! If you plan to double this recipe, I hope you have a lot of friends to share with!

If you are having troubles doubling your recipes, watch this video! It gives an example of how to double fractions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmkAWbHS1dk