Fractions
In the real world, there are not only whole numbers. E.g. bread can be cut into two halves and pizza into eight slices. To describe them we use fractions. They simply tell us how many parts of a whole we have.
Fractions show parts of whole numbers. Each fraction consists of a numerator and a denominator. The numerator is the top digit that represents how many equal parts the fraction contains. The denominator is the bottom digit that represents how many equal parts the whole is broken into:
How to find a fraction of a whole number
Sometimes we need to find a part of a whole, even when the whole is a number greater than 1. For example:
What is 2/3 of 6?
What does it mean?
It means that the whole number 6 is divided into 3 equal parts, and then we take 2 of those parts.
We can imagine the whole number 6 as 6 equal parts. Then we want to find 2/3 of this whole.
If we divide 6 parts into 3 equal groups, each group has:
So 1/3 of 6 is 2 parts. That means 2/3 of 6 is 2 groups, so:
If we drew 6 small boxes, we would shade 4 of them. So:
Rule
To find a fraction of a whole number:
Divide by the denominator, then multiply by the numerator.
For example:
