Fractions for Class 3

Class 3 students begin their mathematical journey with parts of whole numbers through visual representations and practical examples. Pizza slices, chocolate bars, and pie charts make abstract concepts tangible and understandable. Learning fractions builds essential number sense and mathematical reasoning skills.

Fractions

A fraction is a part of a whole. The whole can be one object or a collection of objects. Examples of fractions are shown below:

Numerator

The portion of a fraction above the line that denotes the number to be divided by another number below the line is called the numerator.

Denominator

Denominator is the number that is written below the line that indicates how many components are there in the whole.

A fraction with the numerator and denominator is shown as:

Types of Fractions

As listed below, there are four different types of fractions:

• Unit Fractions
• Proper Fractions
• Improper Fractions
• Mixed Fractions

Unit Fractions

A fraction with 1 in the numerator is known as a unit fraction.

For example:

Proper Fractions

A fraction that has a denominator larger than the numerator is said to be a proper fraction.

For example:

Improper Fractions

A fraction that has the numerator larger than the denominator is said to be an improper fraction.

For example:

Mixed Fractions

A mixed fraction is a combination of a proper fraction and a whole number.

For example:

Lowest Form of Fraction

A fraction is in its lowest form when it cannot be simplified any further. 

It indicates that the fraction's numerator (upper portion or top) and denominator (lower part or bottom) do not have any common factors other than one.

For example:

Equivalent Fractions

Equivalent fractions are two or more fractions that, after simplification, have the same value despite having different numerators and denominators.

For example:

Like Fractions

When two or more fractions share the same denominator, they are said to be like fractions.

For example, 1/8, 2/8, 5/8 and 7/8 are like fractions, shown as:

Comparing the Fractions with the Same Denominator

In the case where the denominators are equal, the fraction with the larger numerators will be larger and the fraction with the smaller numerators will be smaller.

For example:

Example: Which pair is NOT a pair of equivalent fractions?

a) 1/11 and 3/33
b) 18/54 and 1/3
c) 5/11 and 15/22
d) 3/11 and 15/55

Answer: c) 5/11 and 15/22

Explanation: 1/11 = 3/33, 18/54 = 1/3 and 3/11 = 15/55 are equivalent fractions. 5/11 = 10/22, not 15/22, so 5/11 and 15/22 are not equivalent.

Example: Which of the following is the lowest form of the fraction 65/104 ?

a) 5/11
b) 5/8
c) 5/6
d) 5/3

Answer: b) 5/8

Explanation: The simplest form of 65/104 = (13 × 5)/(13 × 8) = 5/8