Fractions are used to indicate the number of parts of a whole to be considered. Suppose you go to Domino's pizza and you order a medium pizza.
If your pizza has 8 slices and you did not eat the whole pizza, this means that you only ate parts of the whole pizza.
Let's say you don't have a big appetite and eat only 2 out of those 8 slices. The following figure illustrate the situation.
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We call 2 the numerator and we call 8 the denominator.
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Notice that a forward slash (/) or a horizontal line be used to separate the numerator from the denominator.
How can we rearrange the slices so you see the one-fourth? May be you know already! If you don't, try the following: Make 4 piles with your slices with each pile having 2 slices.
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1
4
|
=
2
8
|
We call
1
4
|
and
2
8
equivalent fractions
|
1
4
|
=
2
8
|
We call
1
4
|
and
2
8
equivalent fractions
|
1
2
|
and
5
10
|
1
3
|
and
4
12
|
2
5
|
and
4
10
|
You can use a fraction to show a ratio. In a ratio, the numerator shows the part of a group you are considering and the denominator show the rest of the group or the whole group.
Suppose a class has 6 boys and 10 girls. What is the ratio of boys to girls. In this example, the numerator is the number of boys and the denominator is the rest of the group or the number of girls.
What is the ratio of girls to the total number of students? In this case, the numerator is the number of girls and the denominator is the whole group or the total number of students
A fraction can also mean division. For example, 4/5 means 4 ÷ 5. You can use this meaning of fractions to write the fraction as a decimal.
For example, 4/5 = 4 ÷ 5 = 80/100 = 0.8
Benchmark fractions are fractions that are used a lot in basic math and they are also helpful in picturing other fractions.
With benchmark fractions, you can do the followings:
Quickly compare and order fractions. For example, 2/3 is bigger than 1/4.
Round fractions and mixed numbers. For example, 3/4 rounds up to 1 since it is closer to 1 than to 0.
Estimate sums and differences of fractions and mixed numbers. For example,
3/4 + 1/3 is bigger than 1 since 1/3 is bigger than 1/4
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Nov 18, 20 01:20 PM
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