Introduction to Fractions
What is a fraction?
- A fraction is part of a whole
- A fraction is written as where a and b are integers
- The number on the top, a, is called the numerator
- The number on the bottom, b, is called the denominator
- The values of the numerator and denominator tell us about the size of the fraction
- The denominator is how many parts the whole is split into
- The numerator is how many parts you have
- For example, means that the whole is divided into 3 parts and you have 2 of these parts
How do I shade a fraction on a diagram?
- Divide by the denominator and multiply by the numerator
- To shade of a grid of 20 squares
- Divide 20 squares by 5 to get 4 squares
- Multiply this amount by 3 to get 12 squares
- Shade 12 squares
- To shade of a circle
- Divide the circle into four quarters by drawing a horizontal and a vertical line through the centre
- Shade one of these quarters
- To shade of a grid of 20 squares
Worked example
Shade of the grid below.
Count the total number of squares in the grid
total of 21 squares
Divide 21 by 7
21 ÷ 7 = 3
Multiply by 5
3 × 5 = 15
Shade 15 squares
It doesn't matter which 15 you shade, but it's neater to group them together