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Experience a real BrightPath lesson. Learn about fractions with visual diagrams, work through examples, then test your knowledge with our interactive quiz.
Understanding Fractions
Learn what fractions are, how to read them, and see how they show parts of a whole.
What Is a Fraction?
A fraction shows parts of a whole. When we divide something into equal pieces and take some of them, we use a fraction to describe how much we have.
Every fraction has two numbers: the numerator (top number) tells us how many parts we have, and the denominator (bottom number) tells us how many equal parts the whole is divided into.
Anatomy of a Fraction
Read as "three quarters"
Visual: Three Quarters of a Pizza
The pizza is cut into 4 equal slices.
We have eaten 3 of them.
So we ate 34 of the pizza.
Fractions on a Number Line
Fractions live between whole numbers. We can place them on a number line by dividing the space between 0 and 1 into equal parts.
Number Line: Quarters
The space between 0 and 1 is divided into 4 equal parts. The green dot shows where 34 sits.
Equivalent Fractions
Different fractions can represent the same amount. These are called equivalent fractions. You can find them by multiplying (or dividing) both the numerator and denominator by the same number.
Fraction Wall
Notice: 12 = 24 = 48 — they all cover the same amount of the wall!
Great learning so far!
You now know what fractions are, how to read them, and that different fractions can mean the same amount. Ready to test your knowledge?
5 questions. Earn XP for every correct answer.
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