Fraction (mathematics)

A fraction is a number that shows how many equal parts there are. When we write fractions, we show one number with a line above (or a slash next to) another number.^[1]^[2] For example, ${\tfrac {1}{4}}$ , 1⁄4 and 1/4.are different ways of writing the same fraction (in this case a quarter). The top number tells us how many parts there are, and the bottom number tells us the total number of parts.^[3]

Names

Almost every fraction can be read as an ordinal number, with a few exceptions.

${\frac {1}{2}}$ is always read as "one half."

${\frac {1}{4}}$ is sometimes read as "one quarter."

${\frac {1}{100}}$ is sometimes read as "one percent."

Aside from those, fractions are read as ordinal numbers. ${\frac {1}{5}}$ is read as "one fifth," ${\frac {1}{27}}$ is read as "one twenty-seventh," and ${\frac {1}{512}}$ is read as "one five hundred twelfth."

Numerators and denominators

The top part of a fraction (example: 1/4) is a numerator. Numerators can be any real numbers. The numerator can be on the top or to the left when writing fractions. The bottom part of a fraction (example: 1/4) is called a denominator. This number cannot be zero. It is on the bottom or on the right when writing fractions.

A proper fraction is a fraction with the numerator smaller than the denominator. An improper fraction is a fraction where the numerator is bigger than the denominator. For example, ${\tfrac {1}{4}}$ is a proper fraction, and ${\tfrac {5}{4}}$ is an improper fraction.

Examples of fractions

A room where ${\tfrac {1}{4}}$ of the people are girls, has 1 girl for every 4 people.
A cake can be thought of as being made up of 4 equal parts, where each is 1 part of 4. This can be written as ${\tfrac {1}{4}}$

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