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Recognize halves in different shapes

A half is one of two equal-sized parts of a whole shape, so the two parts have the same area and together make the original whole. The parts may have different orientations or appearances, and they need not be identified by a particular direction or position; simply dividing a shape into two pieces does not make the pieces halves.

Detailed Explanation: Recognize halves in different shapes

A half is one of 2 equal parts of a whole.

To recognize halves:

  1. Check that there are 2 parts.
  2. Check that the parts have the same area—the same amount of space.
  3. Check that the 2 parts fit together to make the whole shape again.

The parts do not have to look or point the same way.

Example: A square is divided from one corner to the opposite corner.

  • The line makes 2 triangle-shaped parts.
  • If you fold the square along the line, the 2 triangles match exactly.
  • So the triangles have the same area.
  • Together, they make the whole square.

Therefore, each triangle is a half of the square:

one half+one half=one whole\text{one half}+\text{one half}=\text{one whole}

Even though the parts are triangles instead of squares, they are halves because they are equal in size and make the whole shape together.

Learn by doing: Recognize halves in different shapes

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