Mastering Fractions in Math

Would you like one-third or two-fifths of the chocolate fudge cake at your friend's
birthday party? This is just one example of fractions. Be it homework, food, or
play, fractions can help lots in our everyday lives! You can tell your mum that
your brother broke three-fourths of the window when playing ball and save
yourself from getting all the scolding!
Mastering fractions is essential because they are an important part of everyday
math. But learning them seems difficult because of the many rules that need to
be followed. If children understand the use of fractions in everyday situations
they will be able to learn and apply them better. In the end, there are just a few
basic rules you need to remember after which fractions will become as fun as the
cake you ate at the party earlier!

Examples of how fractions are everywhere with detailed worksheets

Fraction Basics
Let's bite into the fractions basics first. A fraction is a part of a whole. If an entire
pie is divided into 7 parts and you eat 5 of them, you are definitely a pie-lover
because you have just eaten 5/7's of the pie!
The number on top of the fraction is called the numerator, while the number at the
bottom is called the denominator. So in the earlier pie example,5 is the numerator,
while 7 is the denominator.
This example was that of a Proper Fraction, where the numerator is lesser than
the denominator. Other common fractions are: Equivalent Fractions: This is
when two fractions represent the same number, e.g. and 4/8. Notice, if you
divide both the numerator and denominator in 4/8 by 4, you end up with ! This is
called simplifying the fraction. That is, dividing both the numerator and
denominator by the same number.

Improper Fractions: These are the opposite of proper fractions. A

fraction is called improper when the numerator is greater than the denominator,
e.g. 5/3 or 11/7.

Mixed Numbers: These are another way of writing improper fractions. A

mixed number is obtained by dividing the numerator of an improper fraction by
the denominator. It is written as a combination of a whole number and a fraction
together. Example, 7/5 can be written as 1 2/5.

Reciprocal Fractions: These are two fractions which when multiplied

give the result 1. For example, 2/5 and 5/2.

Fraction Definitions
Fraction Calculations
How much of your pocket money remains if you spend a quarter of it to buy
chocolates? This tells us how important it is to know how to calculate using
fractions for our daily dealings. Knowing the following calculations is important:

Adding Fractions: In order to add two or more fractions together their

denominators need to be the same. This is easy if the denominators are the
same, but it becomes slightly harder if this is not the case. For example, adding
3/4 and 1/4 is easier than adding 3/6 and 1/5 because 6 and 5 do not fall in the
same times table.

Subtraction of Fractions: The same rule as addition applies here

Multiplication of Fractions: Multiplying fractions is easy because all the

numerators can be multiplied with each other and the denominators can be
multiplied with each other. The resulting number becomes the answer. Example,
1/4 X 5/3 is 5/12.

Comparing Fractions: If two fractions have the same numerator, the

fraction with the greater denominator is actually lesser in value. For example, 3/5
is greater than 3/7.

Converting Fractions to Decimals: This can be done by applying the

long division method to the fraction and dividing the numerator by the

denominator. Example, to convert 1/5 into a decimal we divide 1 by 5. The

answer we get is 0.2.

Converting Decimals to Fractions: When a decimal is removed, a 1 is

added to the denominator. The number of times a decimal has to be shifted to
the right to make the number a whole tells us the number of zeros to be added in
the denominator. This will result in a fraction which can be simplified. E.g. 0.5
becomes 5/10 which simplifies to 1/2.

Converting Fractions to Percentages: To convert a fraction to a

percentage, just multiply it by 100!

Explaining Fractions Topics

5 Important Fraction Rules
You now know the basic rules for working with fractions. In advanced fractions,
you need to remember a few more rules. These rules are often quizzed on
university entrance examinations! So youll be a smart kid if you perfect using
these important rules right now.

Writing a Fraction in its Lowest Terms: This means simplifying a

fraction for the final answer. The correct way of writing a fraction in its lowest
terms is to divide both the

numerator and denominator with a common number as many times as

possible. For example, to write 2/12 in its lowest terms divide both the numerator
and denominator by 2. So the correct answer is 1/6.

The Magic of 1: If the denominator of any fraction is simply 1, then the

numerator may be written all by itself. For example, 2/1 is simply equal to 2.
That's because anything divided or multiplied by 1 remains the same.

The Impossible Zero: How many zeros are there in 5? That's right! That
is an impossible question with no answer. So a fraction when divided by 0 is not a
number. Example 1/0 has no result. Also, a fraction multiplied by 0 always makes
the result zero. E.g. 2x0 is 0.

Dividing 2 Fractions: When a fraction is divided by another fraction, the

result can be obtained in 2 easy steps:

Take one of the fractions and turn it upside down

Now, multiply the remaining fractions.

Example, 3/4 divided by 2/5 is the same as 3/4 multiplied by 5/2! So the answer
is 15/8.

Summary of Fraction Rules

Learning the Fun Way
Math will only stay in our heads with practice. We can move to other concepts
related to fractions like ratios and shares only after mastering fractions! Learning
fractions through games will make it easy and fun! Remember to share what
youve learnt with friends and classmates and help them learn too!
http://www.startlocal.com.au/articles/educational_fractions.html