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Chapter 2 · Fractions · page 7 of 68

What a fraction is

levelGrade 5
standard5.NF
practiceFraction operations

A fraction is one number. The bottom says how many equal pieces a whole is cut into. The top says how many of those pieces you have. Three quarters is three pieces of a whole cut into four.

How to use it

  1. Read the bottom first: the size of the piece.
  2. Then the top: how many pieces.
  3. A fraction with the same number top and bottom is one whole.

Example

34=three pieces, each a quarter\frac{3}{4} = \text{three pieces, each a quarter}
44=1\frac{4}{4} = 1
54=114\frac{5}{4} = 1\tfrac{1}{4}

Where it goes wrong

  • Thinking a bigger bottom means a bigger fraction. A bigger bottom means smaller pieces.
  • Treating the top and bottom as two separate numbers rather than one value.

Related

Equivalent fractions and simplest formAdding and subtracting fractionsMixed numbers and improper fractions
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