Fractions

A fraction is a way to talk about part of something. When you split a pizza into 4 equal slices and take 1, you took the fraction one fourth. The bottom number tells you how many equal parts there are altogether. The top number tells you how many of those parts you have.

Fractions with the same bottom number are easy to compare. Three eighths is more than two eighths, because the parts are the same size and three is more than two. When the bottom numbers are different, the parts are different sizes, so you have to think harder. One half is actually more than one third, because splitting something into 2 makes bigger pieces than splitting it into 3.

You use fractions all the time without noticing. Half a sandwich, a quarter of an hour, three quarters of a tank of gas. Once you see them, fractions show up everywhere.