Sectieoverzicht

  • The real number system is made up of rational and irrational numbers. All rational numbers can be written as an integer over an integer, one word for "integer over an integer" is fraction. But, fractions make more sense when you can "see" them.

    James is about to eat the last biscuit but his friend Simon would really like some of the biscuit too. So, James breaks the biscuit into 2 pieces and shares it with Simon. The action of breaking a whole thing into smaller pieces is what fractions are all about. [edit: I suggest writing the faction labels in the image in lower case]

    Biscuit broken in half

    How fractions work

    Numerator an denominator make up a fraction

    The denominator tells you how many parts the whole was divided into and the numerator tells you how many parts of the whole you have.


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      Equivalent fractions

      Fractions that have the same value are called equivalent fractions. For example, \( \frac{1}{2}=\frac{2}{4} \); by multiplying the numerator and denominator by the same number the fraction keeps the same value, in this case we have multiplied both by 2. To learn more about making fractions equal you can watch the next video. 


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      Types of fractions

      Common fractions or proper fractions are fractions where the numerator is a smaller value than the denominator, for example, \( \frac{1}{4} \).

      In an improper fraction the numerator is larger than its denominator, for example, \( \frac{8}{3} \). 

      A mixed fraction has a whole number part and a proper fraction part, for example, \(1\)\( \frac{3}{4} \).

      In the next video the types of fractions are explained, pause to think about the answers when the video asks you to. 

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      Exercise: "Seeing" fractions

      This "best hands-on fraction exercise" helps you to see the concept of breaking up a whole into smaller parts more clearly. 

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      Fraction apps

      If you would like to explore the basics of fractions a bit more, here are some free apps that you can download from the app store on a smart device. Click on each one to find out more.

      Fraction Mash

      Visual Fractions

      Fractions, by the Math Learning Center