Famous Fractions

Fractions are ‘parts of a whole’, and this activity splits people’s names into parts.

Not just any people though. Famous people!

First job: think of a celebrity or famous person.

We went with Ed Sheeran. Write down their name:

Now, count the number of letters in their name and make a note of this.

There are 9 letters. This is the ‘Whole’.

Next, we can think of breaking the name into parts – vowels and consonants.

Count how many vowels there are in the name:

Ed Sheeran has 4 vowels in his name. Giving the fraction 4 out of 9.

How many consonants are there in Ed’s name?

Five. So we have 5/9 and 4/9. The fractions add to 9/9.

Try it with the names of other celebrities.

Is there anyone else who has the same fraction of vowels as Ed?

Some names can be ‘simplified’, for example:

Napoleon = 4/8 which is 1/2

1/2 of the letters in Napoleon’s name are vowels.

Here are a few more:

Marge Simpson = 4/12 which is 1/3

Josh Hutcherson = 4/14 which is 2/7

Miley Cirus = 4/10 which is 2/5

Can you find a name that makes 1/2, or any other names that make 1/4, or 1/3?

What fraction does your own name create?