Whats a Fraction

What is a fraction, and why do we need them A fraction is a type of number. We use fractions to represent a part of a whole. Let s say a whole pie is made up of eight slices. If you eat two slices, what part of the whole pie have you eaten Fractions help us answer that question. You have eaten two out of eight slices, or two-eighths of the pie. 

Every fraction is made up of two numbers with a horizontal line between them. The top number is called the numerator. The bottom number is called the denominator. In the fraction 8, the numerator is 2 and the denominator is 8. The numerator of a fraction can be any number, including zero, but the denominator of a fraction can never be zero. A fraction with a denominator of zero is undefined. 

A FRACTION REPRESENTS a part of a whole. A fraction itself is a division statement. The top number of the fraction, the numerator, is divided by the bottom number of the fraction, the denominator. 

The denominator is the number of parts that make the whole. Look again at our pie. There are 8 parts, or slices, that make up the whole. If the pie had only 4 slices, then the denominator of our fraction would be 4. The numerator is the number of parts that are shaded. Because our pie has 2 slices shaded, the numerator of our fraction is 2. The numerator always tells us how many parts of the whole we have. 

Look at the following fraction. What fraction of this circle is shaded  

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