Fractions

A fraction is a part of a whole

Slice a pizza, and we get fractions:

1
/2 1
/4 /8
3

(One-Half) (One-Quarter) (Three-Eighths)

The top number says how many slices we have.

The bottom number says how many equal slices it was cut into.

Have a try yourself:

Click the pizza →

Slices we have:
Total slices:
"One Eighth"
Slices:
8
▲▼

Equivalent Fractions
Some fractions may look different, but are really the same, for example:
 4
/8 = 2
/4 = 1
/2
(Four-Eighths) Two-Quarters) (One-Half)

= =

It is usually best to show an answer using the simplest fraction ( 1/2 in this
case ). That is called Simplifying, or Reducing the Fraction

Numerator / Denominator
We call the top number the Numerator, it is the number of parts we have.
We call the bottom number the Denominator, it is the number of parts the
whole is divided into.

Numerator
Denominator

You just have to remember those names! (If you forget just think "Down"-
ominator)

Proper Fractions

A Proper Fraction has a top number

less than its bottom number

38
(Three-Eighths)
Examples
38 14 1415 45

See how the top number is smaller than the bottom number in each example?
That makes it a Proper Fraction.

Three Types of Fractions

There are three types of fraction:

Fractions
A Fraction (such as 3/8) has two numbers:

NumeratorDenominator

The top number is the Numerator, it is the number of parts you have.
The bottom number is the Denominator, it is the number of parts the whole is
divided into.

Example: 3/4 means:

 We have 3 parts
 Each part is a quarter (1/4) of a whole

So we can define the three types of fractions like this:

 Proper Fractions: The numerator is less than the denominator
Examples: 1/3, 3/4, 2/7

Improper Fractions: The numerator is greater than (or equal to) the denominator
Examples: 4/3, 11/4, 7/7

Mixed Fractions: A whole number and proper fraction together

Examples: 1 1/3, 2 1/4, 16 2/5

Proper Fractions
So, a proper fraction is just a fraction where the numerator (the top number) is
less than the denominator (the bottom number). Here are some examples of
proper fractions:

/2
1
/4 1 3
/8
(One-Half) (One-Quarter) (Three-Eighths)

Improper Fractions

4
(seven-fourths or seven-quarters)

An Improper Fraction has a top number larger than (or equal to) the
bottom number.

It is "top-heavy"

More Examples
3 7 16 15 99
2 3 15 15 5

See how the top number is bigger than (or equal to) the bottom number?
That makes it an Improper Fraction, (but there is nothing wrong about
Improper Fractions ).

Three Types of Fractions

There are three types of fraction:

Fractions
A Fraction (such as 7/4) has two numbers:

NumeratorDenominator
The top number (the Numerator) is the number of parts we have.
The bottom number (the Denominator) is the number of parts the whole is
divided into.

Example: 7/4 means:

 We have 7 parts
 Each part is a quarter (1/4) of a whole

So we can define the three types of fractions like this:

Proper Fractions: The numerator is less than the denominator

Examples: 1/3, 3/4, 2/7

Improper Fractions: The numerator is greater than (or equal to) the denominator

Examples: 4/3, 11/4, 7/7

Mixed Fractions: A whole number and proper fraction together

Examples: 1 1/3, 2 1/4, 16 2/5

Improper Fraction
So an improper fraction is a fraction where the top number (numerator) is
greater than or equal to the bottom number (denominator): it is top-heavy.

4
/4
Can be Equal
What about when the numerator is equal to the denominator? For example 4/4 ?

Well it is the same as a whole, but it is written as a fraction, so most people

agree it is a type of improper fraction.

Improper Fractions or Mixed Fractions

We can use either an improper fraction or a mixed fraction to show the same
amount. For example 1 3/4 = 7/4, shown here:

1 3/4 7
/4

Converting Improper Fractions to Mixed Fractions

To convert an improper fraction to a mixed fraction, follow these steps:

 Divide the numerator by the denominator.

 Write down the whole number answer
 Then write down any remainder above the denominator.

Example: Convert 11/4 to a mixed fraction.

Divide:

11 ÷ 4 = 2 with a remainder of 3

Write down the 2 and then write down the remainder (3) above the
denominator (4), like this:

2 34

Converting Mixed Fractions to Improper Fractions

To convert a mixed fraction to an improper fraction, follow these steps:

 Multiply the whole number part by the fraction's denominator.

 Add that to the numerator
 Then write the result on top of the denominator.

Example: Convert 3 2
/5 to an improper fraction.

Multiply the whole number by the denominator:

3 × 5 = 15

Add the numerator to that:

15 + 2 = 17

Then write that down above the denominator, like this:

175

Are Improper Fractions Bad ?

NO, they aren't bad!

For mathematics they are actually better than mixed fractions. Because mixed
fractions can be confusing when we write them in a formula: should the two
parts be added or multiplied?

Mixed Fraction: What is: 1 + 2 1/4 ?

Is it: 1 + 2 + 1/4 = 3 1/4 ?
Or is it: 1 + 2 × 1/4 = 1 1/2 ?

Improper Fraction: What is: 1 + 9/4 ?

4
It is: /4 + 9/4 = 13/4

But, for everyday use, people understand mixed fractions better.

Example: It is easier to say "I ate 2 1/4 sausages", than "I ate 9/4 sausages"

We Recommend:

 For Mathematics: Improper Fractions

 For Everyday Use: Mixed Fractions

Mixed Fractions
(Also called "Mixed Numbers")

3
1
4
 (one and three-quarters)

A Mixed Fraction is a whole number and a proper fraction combined.

Such as 1 /4
3

Examples
2 3/8 7 1/4 1 14/15 21 4/5

See how each example is made up of a whole number and a proper fraction
together? That is why it is called a "mixed" fraction (or mixed number).

Names
We can give names to every part of a mixed fraction:

Three Types of Fractions

There are three types of fraction:

Mixed Fractions or Improper Fractions

You can use either an improper fraction or a mixed fraction to show the same
amount.
For example 1 3/4 = 7/4, as shown here:

1 3/4 /4
7

Converting Mixed Fractions to Improper Fractions

To convert a mixed fraction to an improper fraction, follow these steps:

 Multiply the whole number part by the fraction's denominator.

 Add that to the numerator
 Write that result on top of the denominator.

Example: Convert 3 2
/5 to an improper fraction.

Multiply the whole number (3) by the fraction's denominator (5):

3 × 5 = 15

Add the fraction's numerator (2) to that:

15 + 2 = 17

Then put that above the denominator, like this:

175
Converting Improper Fractions to Mixed Fractions
To convert an improper fraction to a mixed fraction, follow these steps:

 Divide the numerator by the denominator.

 Write down the whole number answer
 Then write down any remainder above the denominator.

Example: Convert 11/4 to a mixed fraction.

Divide:

11 ÷ 4 = 2 with a remainder of 3

Write down the 2 and then write down the remainder (3) above the
denominator (4), like this:

234

When to Use Improper Fractions or Mixed Fractions

For everyday use, people understand mixed fractions better:

Example: It is easier to say "I ate 2 1/4 sausages", than "I ate 9/4 sausages"

But for mathematics improper fractions are actually better than mixed
fractions.

Because mixed fractions can be confusing when you write them in a

formula: should the two parts be added or multiplied?

Mixed Fraction: What is: 1 + 2 1/4 ?

Is it: 1 + 2 + 1/4 = 3 1/4 ?
Or is it: 1 + 2 × 1/4 = 1 1/2 ?

Improper Fraction: What is: 1 + 9/4 ?

 4
It is: /4 + 9/4 = 13/4

We Recommend:

 For Mathematics: Improper Fractions

 For Everyday Use: Mixed Fractions

Greatest Common Factor

The highest number that divides exactly into two or more numbers.
It is the "greatest" thing for simplifying fractions!

Let's start with an Example ...

Greatest Common Factor of 12 and 16

 Find all the Factors of each number,

 Circle the Common factors,
 Choose the Greatest of those

So ... what is a "Factor" ?

Factors are numbers we multiply together to get another number:

A number can have many factors:

Factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12 ...

... because 2 × 6 = 12, or 4 × 3 = 12, or 1 × 12 = 12.

(Read how to find All the Factors of a Number . In our case we don't need the
negative ones.)

What is a "Common Factor" ?

Say we have worked out the factors of two numbers:

Example: Factors of 12 and 30

Factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12
Factors of 30 are 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 15 and 30

Then the common factors are those that are found in both lists:

 Notice that 1, 2, 3 and 6 appear in both lists?

 So, the common factors of 12 and 30 are: 1, 2, 3 and 6

It is a common factor when it is a factor of two or more numbers.

Here is another example with three numbers:

Example: The common factors of 15, 30 and 105

Factors of 15 are 1, 3, 5, and 15
Factors of 30 are 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 15 and 30
Factors of 105 are 1, 3, 5, 7, 15, 21, 35 and 105

The factors that are common to all three numbers are 1, 3, 5 and 15

In other words, the common factors of 15, 30 and 105 are 1, 3, 5 and 15

What is the "Greatest Common Factor" ?

It is simply the largest of the common factors.
In our previous example, the largest of the common factors is 15, so
the Greatest Common Factor of 15, 30 and 105 is 15

The "Greatest Common Factor" is the largest of the common factors (of two or
more numbers)

Why is this Useful?

One of the most useful things is when we want to simplify a fraction:

Example: How could we simplify 1230 ?

Earlier we found that the Common Factors of 12 and 30 are 1, 2, 3 and 6, and
so the Greatest Common Factor is 6.

So the largest number we can divide both 12 and 30 evenly by is 6, like this:

÷6

1230 = 25

÷6
The Greatest Common Factor of 12 and 30 is 6.

And so 1230 can be simplified to 25

Finding the Greatest Common Factor

Here are three ways:

1. We can:

 find all factors of both numbers (use the All Factors Calculator),
 then find the ones that are common to both, and
 then choose the greatest.

Example:

Greatest Example Simplified

Two Numbers Factors Common Factors
Common Factor Fraction

9: 1,3,9
9 and 12 1,3 3 912 = 34
12: 1,2,3,4,6,12

And another example:

Greatest Example Simplified

Two Numbers Factors Common Factors
Common Factor Fraction

6: 1,2,3,6
6 and 18 1,2,3,6 6 618 = 13
18: 1,2,3,6,9,18

2. We can find the prime factors and combine the common ones
together:

Greatest Example Simplified

Two Numbers Thinking ...
Common Factor Fraction

2 × 2 × 2 × 3 = 24, and
24 and 108 2 × 2 × 3 = 12 24108 = 29
2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 = 108

3. And sometimes we can just play around with the factors until we
discover it:

Greatest Example Simplified

Two Numbers Thinking ...
Common Factor Fraction

9 and 12 3 × 3 = 9 and 3 × 4 = 12 3 912 = 34

But in that case we must check that we have found
the greatest common factor.

Greatest Common Factor Calculator

There is another easy method, we can use the Greatest Common Factor
Calculator to find it automatically.

Other Names
The "Greatest Common Factor" is often abbreviated to "GCF", and is also known
as:

 the "Greatest Common Divisor (GCD)", or

 the "Highest Common Factor (HCF)"

Adding Fractions
It is easy to add fractions with the same denominator (same bottom
number):

1
/4 + 1
/4 = 2
/4 = 1
/2
(One-Quarter) (One-Quarter) (Two-Quarters) (One-Half)
 + = =

Another example:

5
/8 + 1
/8 = 6
/8 = 3
/4

+ = =

Adding Fractions with Different Denominators

But what about when the denominators (the bottom numbers) are not the
same?

3
/8 + 1
/4 = ?

+ =

We must somehow make the denominators the same.

In this case it is easy, because we know that 1/4 is the same as 2/8 :

3
/8 + 2
/8 = 5
/8
 + =

There are two popular methods to make the denominators the same:

 Least Common Denominator, or

 Common Denominator

Least Common Denominator

... is the Least Common Multiple of the denominators ...

What is a Denominator?

The denominator is the bottom number in a fraction.

It shows how many equal parts the item is divided into

What is a Common Denominator?

When the denominators of two or more fractions are the same, they
have Common Denominators.
What is the Least Common Denominator?
The "Least Common Denominator" is the smallest of all the possible common
denominators.

We will see how to find it soon, but first let's investigate why common
denominators are needed.

Different Denominators
We can't add fractions with different denominators:

13 + 16 = ?

So what do we do? How can they be added?

Answer: We need to make the denominators the same.

Finding a Common Denominator

But what should the new denominator be?

One simple answer is to multiply the current denominators together:

3 × 6 = 18

So instead of having 3 or 6 slices, we will make both of them have 18 slices.

The pizzas now look like this:

618 + 318 = 918

(Read more about Common Denominators .)

Least Common Denominator

That is all fine, but 18 is a lot of slices ... can we do it with fewer slices?

Here is how to find out:

13 List the multiples of 3: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, ...

16 List the multiples of 6: 6, 12, 18, 24, ...

Then find the smallest number that is the same

multiples of 3: 3, 6 , 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, ...

multiples of 6: 6 , 12, 18, 24, ...

The answer is 6, and that is the Least Common Denominator.

So let us try using it! We want both fractions to have 6 slices.

 When we multiply top and bottom of 13 by 2 we get 26

 16 already has a denominator of 6

And our question now looks like:

26 + 16 = 36
One last step is to simplify the fraction (if possible). In this case 3/6 is simpler
as 1/2:

26 + 16 = 36 = 12

And that is what the Least Common Denominator is all about.

It lets us add (or subtract) fractions using the least number of slices.

What Did We Do?

The trick was to list the multiples of each denominator, then find the Least
Common Multiple

In the previous example the Least Common Multiple of 3 and 6 was 6.

In other words the Least Common Denominator of 13 and 16 is 6.

Here are the steps to follow:

  Find the Least Common Multiple of the denominators
(which is called the Least Common Denominator).

 Change each fraction (using equivalent fractions) to make

their denominators the same as the least common
denominator

 Then add (or subtract) the fractions, as we wish!

Example: What is 16 + 715 ?

The Denominators are 6 and 15:

multiples of 6: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, ...

multiples 15: 15, 30, 45, 60, ...

So the Least Common Multiple of 6 and 15 is 30.

Now let's try to make the denominators the same.

Note: what we do to the bottom of the fraction,

we must also do to the top

When we multiply 6 × 5 we get 30, and when we multiply 15 × 2 we also get

30:

×5 ×2

16 = 530 and 715 = 1430

×5 ×2

Now we can do the addition by adding the top numbers:

530 + 1430 = 1930

The fraction is already as simple as it can be, so that is the answer.

Least Common Multiple Tool

To find the least common denominator automatically use the Least Common
Multiple Tool. Just put in the denominators, press the button, and the least
common denominator is shown.

One More Example

Example: What is 38 + 512?

List the multiples of 8 and 12

multiples of 8: 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, ...

multiples 12: 12, 24, 36, 48, ...

The Least Common Multiple is 24

Let's try to make the denominators the same ... when we multiply 8 × 3 we get
24, and when we multiply 12 × 2 we also get 24. So, let's use that:

×3 ×2

38 = 924 and 512 = 1024

×3 ×2

Now we can do the addition:

924 + 1024 = 1924

The fraction is already as simple as it can be, so that is the answer.

What is a Denominator?

The denominator is the bottom number in a fraction.

It shows how many equal parts the item is divided into.

What is a Common Denominator?

When the denominators of two or more fractions are the same, they
are Common Denominators.

Why is it Important?
Before we can add or subtract fractions, the fractions need to have
a common denominator

Iin other words the denominators must be the same.

Making The Denominators the Same

To make the denominators the same we can:

Multiply top and bottom of each fraction by the denominator of

the other.

Like in this example (press play button):

This always works, but we often need to simplify the fraction afterwards, as in
this example (press play button):
We simplified the fraction 2032 to 1016 , then to 58 by dividing the top and
bottom by 2 each time, and that is as simple as it can get!

What Did We Do?

1. We multiplied each fraction by the denominator of the other. Let's use letters
instead of numbers to show it:

2. And because they now have the same denominator, we can add them:

In One Step!

We could do those two things in one step like this:

Which we can use like this:

Example: What is 23 + 45 ?

23 + 45 = 2×5 + 3×43×5 = 10 + 1215 = 2215

(Note: a was 2, b was 3, c was 4 and d was 5.)

That is how the experts do it!

 Adding Fractions
There are 3 Simple Steps to add fractions:

 Step 1: Make sure the bottom numbers (the denominators) are the same
 Step 2: Add the top numbers (the numerators), put the answer over
the denominator
 Step 3: Simplify the fraction (if needed)

Example 1:
14 + 14

Step 1. The bottom numbers (the denominators) are already the same. Go
straight to step 2.

Step 2. Add the top numbers and put the answer over the same denominator:

14 + 14 = 1 + 14 = 24

Step 3. Simplify the fraction:

24 = 12

In picture form it looks like this:

14 + 14 = 24 = 12
 ... and do you see how 24 is simpler as 12 ? (see Equivalent Fractions .)

Example 2:
13 + 16

Step 1: The bottom numbers are different. See how the slices are different
sizes?

13 + 16 = ?

We need to make them the same before we can continue, because

we can't add them like that.

The number "6" is twice as big as "3", so to make the bottom numbers the
same we can multiply the top and bottom of the first fraction by 2, like this:

×2

13 = 26

×2

Important: you multiply both top and bottom by the same amount,
to keep the value of the fraction the same

Now the fractions have the same bottom number ("6"), and our question looks
like this:

26 + 16
The bottom numbers are now the same, so we can go to step 2.

Step 2: Add the top numbers and put them over the same denominator:

26 + 16 = 2 + 16 = 36

In picture form it looks like this:

26 + 16 = 36

Step 3: Simplify the fraction:

36 = 12

In picture form the whole answer looks like this:

26 + 16 = 36 = 12
With Pen and Paper

And here is how to do it with a pen and paper (press the play button):

Play with it!

Try the Adding Fractions Animation .

A Rhyme To Help You Remember

♫ "If adding or subtracting is your aim,
The bottom numbers must be the same!
♫ "Change the bottom using multiply or divide,
But the same to the top must be applied,
♫ "And don't forget to simplify,
Before its time to say good bye"

Example 3:
13 + 15

Again, the bottom numbers are different (the slices are different sizes)!

13 + 15 = ?
But let us try dividing them into smaller sizes that will each be the same:

515 + 315

The first fraction: by multiplying the top and bottom by 5 we ended up

with 515 :

×5

13 = 515

×5

The second fraction: by multiplying the top and bottom by 3 we ended up

with 315 :

×3

15 = 315

×3

The bottom numbers are now the same, so we can go ahead and add the top
numbers:

515 + 315 = 815

The result is already as simple as it can be, so that is the answer: 815

Making the Denominators the Same

In the previous example how did we know to cut them into 1/15ths to make the
denominators the same? We simply multiplied the two denominators together
(3 × 5 = 15).

Read about the two main ways to make the denominators the same here:

 Common Denominator Method, or the

 Least Common Denominator Method

They both work, use which one you prefer!

Example: Cupcakes

You want to make and sell cupcakes:

 A friend can supply the ingredients, if you give them 1/3of sales
 And a market stall costs 1/4 of sales

How much is that altogether?

We need to add 1/3 and 1/4

1 1 ?
+ =
3 4 ?

First make the bottom numbers (the denominators) the same.

Multiply top and bottom of 1/3 by 4:

1×4 1 ?
+ =
3×4 4 ?

And multiply top and bottom of 1/4 by 3:

1×4 1×3 ?
+ =
3×4 4×3 ?

Now do the calculations:

4 3 4+3 7
+ = =
12 12 12 12

Answer: 712 of sales go in ingredients and market costs.

Adding Mixed Fractions

I have a special (more advanced) page on Adding Mixed Fractions .

Adding and Subtracting Mixed Fractions

 Quick Definition: A Mixed Fraction is a
whole number and a fraction combined,
such as 1 34
1 3/4
(one and three-quarters)

To make it easy to add and subtract them, just convert to Improper Fractions
first:

Quick Definition: An Improper fraction has a

top number larger than or equal to
the bottom number,

such as 74 or 43
7
/4
(seven-fourths or seven-quarters) (It is "top-heavy")

Adding Mixed Fractions

I find this is the best way to add mixed fractions:

 convert them to Improper Fractions

 then add them (using Addition of Fractions)
 then convert back to Mixed Fractions

(You may like to read how to Convert from or to Mixed Fractions )

Example: What is 2 34 + 3 12 ?

Convert to Improper Fractions:

 2 34 = 114
3 12 = 72

Common denominator of 4:

114 stays as 114

72 becomes 144
(by multiplying top and bottom by 2)

Now Add:

114 + 144 = 254

Convert back to Mixed Fractions:

254 = 6 14

When you get more experience you can do it faster like this:

Example: What is 3 58 + 1 34

Convert them to improper fractions:

3 58 = 298
1 34 = 74
Make same denominator: 74 becomes 148 (by multiplying top and bottom by
2)

And add:

298 + 148 = 438 = 5 38

Subtracting Mixed Fractions

Just follow the same method, but subtract instead of add:
Example: What is 15 34 − 8 56 ?

Convert to Improper Fractions:

15 34 = 634
8 56 = 536

Common denominator of 12:

634 becomes 18912

536 becomes 10612

Now Subtract:

18912 − 10612 = 8312

Convert back to Mixed Fractions:

8312 = 6 1112