Fractions-Equivalent, Mixed, improper,proper comparing
What is a Fraction?
A fraction is a part or portion of a whole.
Example:
1 whole
Half of a whole
1 third
And more..
There are different types of fractions such as: equivalent fractions,mixed,improper,& proper.
Equivalent Fractions
What are Equivalent fractions?
Equivalent fractions are fractions that have the same value even though they may not look the same.
Example: 1 half is the same as 2 fourth is the same as four eighth.
Why are they they the same?
Because when you multiply or divide both the top and bottom by the same number, the fraction keeps it's value.
The rule to remember is:
What you do to the top of the fraction
you must also do to the bottom of the fraction !
Here is why they are really the same:
Mixed Numbers
What is a mixed number?
A Mixed Fraction
is a
whole number
and a proper fraction
combined.
such as 1 3/4.
Examples:
2 3/8 7 1/4 1 14/15
See how each example is made up of a whole number and a proper fraction together? That is why it is called a "mixed" fraction (or mixed number).
We can give names to every part of a mixed fraction:
Improper Fractions
An Improper fraction has a top number
larger than (or equal to) the bottom number,
EXAMPLES: 3/2 7/4
Fractions
A Fraction (such as 7/4) has two numbers:
Numerator |
Denominator |
The top number is the Numerator, it is the number of parts you have.
The bottom number is the Denominator, it is the number of parts the whole is divided into.
So we can define the three types of fractions like this:
Proper Fractions: | The numerator is less than the denominator |
---|---|
Examples: 1/3, 3/4, 2/7 | |
Improper Fractions: | The numerator is greater than (or equal to) the denominator |
Examples: 4/3, 11/4, 7/7 | |
Mixed Fractions: | A whole number and proper fraction together |
Examples: 1 1/3, 2 1/4, 16 2/5 |
Improper Fraction
So, an improper fraction is just a fraction where the top number (numerator) is greater than or equal to the bottom number (denominator).
In other words, it is top-heavy
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