What is the meaning of one half?

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In summary, the conversation is about the meaning of the term "one half" and how it can be interpreted differently. Some suggest that it is equivalent to 1/2, while others argue that it is 1 and 1/2. The conversation also delves into the difference between whole milk and half and half, and the confusion that can arise when talking about fractions and mixing different quantities. Ultimately, the conversation turns into a playful banter about drinking habits and the effects of alcohol.
  • #1
flyingpig
2,579
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I was sleeping and I was thinking about this question last night and I cuoldn't sleep at all.

What is one half?

at first I thought it meant 1/2, but then I thought "hey, one, half. I said one first and then half later, so it means [tex]1 \frac{1}{2}[/tex]"

Yeah so could anyone clarify this for me lol?
 
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  • #2
Usually 1½ is read as "one and a half".

½ is usually read as just "half"

I think ½ to mean one-half sounds redundant.
 
  • #3
what is one half then?
 
  • #4
How many halves is one half?

1+1/2 is three halves, 1/2 is one half. See, it's easy!
 
  • #5
No but rock.freak667 stated, we could've just said "half" for 1/2

but when we say one, it means 1 and then we say half after it 1/2 it sounds like 1 1/2

One half 1 1/2
 
  • #6
If you call 1/2 "half" then "one half" is 1 x 1/2=1/2. The same is true, e.g, for thirds: "two thirds" is 2/3=2 x 1/3
 
  • #7
It is 0.5.
 
Last edited:
  • #8
Unit said:
It is 0.5.

If I said it's 0.4999... I could stir up some excitement :-)
 
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  • #9
What is one-half?

one-half = 1/2
one half = 1 1/2
one-fourth = 1/4
one fourth = 1 4th
 
  • #10
I can't believe this thread has lasted through 8 (now 9!) posts. The original post is simply a play on words and has nothing to do with mathematics.
 
  • #11
Yes, the original post deals with words, but it reminds me of a pet peve regarding how "mixed fractions" are written- say "4 and a half" is written as 4 1/2
When evaluated as an expression, there is implied multiplication which the original phrase does not imply.
 
  • #12
No, it isn't. Writing algebraic symbols next to each other, such as "xy", is implied multiplication. That is not true of actual numbers written next to each other.

"29" does not mean "2 times 9".
 
  • #13
1/2 is 6 of a dozen.
 
  • #14
I always get confused when someone says they drank a whole half gallon of milk. Is that like drinking a half whole gallon? Is it whole milk or half and half. What's the difference between whole milk and half and half anyway. If you mix a half gallon of half and half and a half gallon of whole, do you get a gallon and a half of half half and half and half whole? What if you have two half brothers? Is that the same as having one brother?
 
  • #15
Jimmy wins, again.
 
  • #16
Dembadon said:
Jimmy wins, again.
Antiphon's is funnier.
 
  • #17
Jimmy Snyder said:
I always get confused when someone says they drank a whole half gallon of milk. Is that like drinking a half whole gallon? Is it whole milk or half and half. What's the difference between whole milk and half and half anyway. If you mix a half gallon of half and half and a half gallon of whole, do you get a gallon and a half of half half and half and half whole? What if you have two half brothers? Is that the same as having one brother?

Just ask yourself:

Screenshot2011-06-17at14152PM.png
 
  • #18
zoobyshoe said:
Just ask yourself:

Screenshot2011-06-17at14152PM.png
That's some horrorshow moloko.
 
  • #19
Jimmy Snyder said:
That's some horrorshow moloko.
Glad you didn't ask if it was half empty or full.
 
  • #20
zoobyshoe said:
Glad you didn't ask if it was half empty or full.

It looks like it's one-half full to me.
 
  • #21
As an engineer I must declare that it doesn't matter if it's half empty or half full; its merely twice as big as needs to be.
 
  • #22
As an opportunist I must declare that it doesn't matter if it's half empty or half full; are you going to drink it?
 
  • #23
Unit said:
As an opportunist I must declare that it doesn't matter if it's half empty or half full; are you going to drink it?

I'll drink half.
 
  • #24
Antiphon said:
I'll drink half.

I'll drink half of what's left.
 
  • #25
lisab said:
I'll drink half of what's left.

One half, of course.
 
  • #26
Jimmy Snyder said:
I always get confused when someone says they drank a whole half gallon of milk.
Why is this confusing? In the US, you can buy milk in a variety of quantities: pint, quart, half-gallon, and gallon. Each of these could be considered a "unit" of milk. You probably wouldn't be confused if someone said they drank a whole pint, which is a half-quart or quarter-gallon. When someone says they drank a whole half-gallon, I would interpret this to mean that they drank all of the milk in a half-gallon container; i.e., the whole thing.
Jimmy Snyder said:
Is that like drinking a half whole gallon?
Pretty much.
Jimmy Snyder said:
Is it whole milk or half and half.
"Of milk" implies that they were talking about milk, not half and half.
Jimmy Snyder said:
What's the difference between whole milk and half and half anyway.
Why don't you look it up and get back to us?
Jimmy Snyder said:
If you mix a half gallon of half and half and a half gallon of whole, do you get a gallon and a half of half half and half and half whole?
How would you get a gallon and a half from mixing two half-gallons of liquid?
Jimmy Snyder said:
What if you have two half brothers? Is that the same as having one brother?
Maybe if you were a magician, and your brother was involved in a "sawing a man into two" act that went tragically wrong.
 
  • #27
Mark44 said:
You probably wouldn't be confused if someone said they drank a whole pint, which is a half-quart or quarter-gallon.
I was born confused son. Let me try to get this straight. If someone says they drank a whole pint of whole milk in 15 minutes, that's the same thing as saying that they drank a whole half-half-gallon of whole half and half in a whole half of a whole half hour. I never heard anyone talk like that. Look at it this way. If someone says they drank a whole fifth of bourbon, then is that the same as drinking a fifth of whole bourbon? As a whole, I like bourbon, but I never heard anyone say they drank a whole bourbon after they drank 5 fifths of it.
 
  • #28
Jimmy Snyder said:
... but I never heard anyone say they drank a whole bourbon after they drank 5 fifths of it.
No one whose drunk 5 fifths of bourbon can still talk.
 
  • #29
Jimmy Snyder said:
I was born confused son. Let me try to get this straight. If someone says they drank a whole pint of whole milk in 15 minutes, that's the same thing as saying that they drank a whole half-half-gallon of whole half and half in a whole half of a whole half hour. I never heard anyone talk like that. Look at it this way. If someone says they drank a whole fifth of bourbon, then is that the same as drinking a fifth of whole bourbon?
Let's get the units in, since their lack seems to be adding to your confusion. A fifth is not a fifth of a bourbon, or gin, or vodka; it's a fifth of a gallon of some alcoholic beverage. Someone who has drunk a whole fifth of a gallon of bourbon, has drunk a fifth of a whole gallon.
Jimmy Snyder said:
As a whole, I like bourbon, but I never heard anyone say they drank a whole bourbon after they drank 5 fifths of it.
 
  • #30
Mark44 said:
A fifth is not a fifth of a bourbon, or gin, or vodka; it's a fifth of a gallon of some alcoholic beverage.
I had a feeling someone was putting alcohol in my liquor.
 
  • #31
Jimmy Snyder said:
I had a feeling someone was putting alcohol in my liquor.
They do that on purpose so you'll get drunk and buy more liquor. It's pretty devious.
 

1. What is the numerical value of one half?

The numerical value of one half is 0.5. This means that one half is equal to half of a whole unit.

2. How can one half be represented visually?

One half can be represented visually as a fraction, with the top number being 1 and the bottom number being 2. It can also be represented as a decimal, 0.5, or as a percentage, 50%.

3. What is the relationship between one half and other fractions?

One half is equivalent to many other fractions, such as two fourths, three sixths, and five tenths. This means that these fractions all represent the same amount as one half.

4. How is one half used in everyday life?

One half is used in many everyday situations, such as when dividing a pizza into equal slices or when measuring ingredients for a recipe. It is also commonly used in math and science to represent proportions and ratios.

5. What is the concept of one half used for in scientific research?

The concept of one half is used in scientific research to represent a 50% chance or probability. It is also used in calculations and measurements, such as when determining the half-life of a substance or the division of a sample into equal parts for experimentation.

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