Fraction

A fraction is a number between zero and 1 and is expressed as one number over another number, like this:

1
2

The number on top is called the numerator and the number on the bottom is called the denominator. It means that if you cut up a whole thing into 2 parts (the denominator), then the fraction is 1 of those 2 parts, or a half.

When you think of a fraction, think of a pizza! Suppose a pizza is cut evenly into 8 pieces. These 8 pieces are the denominator. Now, if you ate 3 of them you ate 3/8 of the pizza:

This is not quite half of the pizza. Half of the pizza would be how many pieces? That's right, it would be 4 pieces. This makes the fraction 4/8 which can be reduced to 1/2 or 'half' of the pizza.

For a more in-depth introduction to fractions, see the Math Pak Introduction, Page 1 and Page 2.

A fraction can be converted into a decimal number or a percent.
Click here to see how to convert between fractions, decimals and percents.