Fractions

Fractions

Fractions is the components of a whole. An object or a collection of objects might be the entire. 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 whose numerator and denominator are prime numbers is the lowest form of fraction. 

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, 18, 28, 58 and 78 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 option is NOT the like terms?

a) 111 and 333
b) 1854 and 13
c) 511 and 1522
d) 311 and 1555

Answer: c) 511 and 1522

Explanation: 111 and 333, 1854 and 13 and 311 and 1555 are equivalent fractions. Therefore, they are like fractions.

511 and 1522 are not like fractions.

Example: Which of the following is the lowest form of the fraction 65104 ?

a) 511
b) 58
c) 56
d) 53

Answer: b) 58

Explanation: The simplest form of 65104 = 13 513 8 = 58