1. **Problem Statement:** A colony of ants starts as a single group and splits equally at each branching point until they reach two food sources: one near a mango tree and the other near a sugarcane field. We need to find the fraction of the original group that reaches each food source. 2. **Understanding the splitting:** At each branching point, the ants split equally into two groups. This means each group is half the size of the group before splitting. 3. **Fraction reaching each food source:** Since the ants split equally at every branch and eventually reach two food sources, the fraction of the original group reaching each food source is half, or $\frac{1}{2}$. 4. **Calculating $1 - \frac{1}{2}$:** This is a simple subtraction to find the remaining fraction after removing half. $$1 - \frac{1}{2} = \frac{2}{2} - \frac{1}{2} = \frac{1}{2}$$ 5. **Interpretation:** Half of the original group reaches the mango tree, and half reaches the sugarcane field. The difference $1 - \frac{1}{2}$ also equals $\frac{1}{2}$, confirming the equal split. **Final answer:** - Fraction reaching mango tree = $\frac{1}{2}$ - Fraction reaching sugarcane field = $\frac{1}{2}$ - $1 - \frac{1}{2} = \frac{1}{2}$