Introduction to Fractions
A fraction is a number that represents a part of a whole. It
has two parts: a numerator and a denominator.
Consider this fraction:
In this fraction, 1 is the numerator, and 8 is the denominator.
- The numerator is always on the top part of the fraction.
- The denominator is always on the bottom part of the
fraction.
There are three kinds of fractions: Proper, Improper,
and Mixed
Proper Fraction: Note that
in a proper fract ion, the numerator is always less than the
denominator.
Improper Fraction: Note that
in an improper fraction, the numerator is always greater than the
denominator.
Mixed Numbers (or Mixed Fractions): Mixed
Numbers are simply different ways of expressing improper
fractions.
Well take a closer look at mixed numbers in the next
lesson.
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