Looking at 2/4 and 1/2, Ishaan says 2/4 must be more because the numbers are bigger

Why

Ishaan is reading fractions the way you'd read whole numbers, where bigger digits always mean a bigger value — a completely reasonable habit to bring along. Fractions can carry that same amount using different-sized pieces, though, and that's exactly what's happening here. Picture a roti cut into 4 equal pieces with 2 of them on your plate, next to a second identical roti cut into just 2 equal pieces with 1 of them on your plate — in both cases you have exactly half the roti, just cut differently. Multiply the top and bottom of 1/2 by 2 and you get 2/4 — same value, rewritten with smaller pieces counted twice as many times. You can check it by dividing: 2 ÷ 4 = 0.5, and 1 ÷ 2 = 0.5, identical. Kavya is right — 2/4 and 1/2 are the same amount; the bigger-looking numbers just mean it was cut into more, smaller pieces.