Parts of a fraction
Fractions only have two main parts: the numerator and the denominator. The numerator is the number above the line in the fraction. The denominator is the number below the line in the fraction.
The denominator tells you how many pieces the whole is broken up into. In the fraction above, the denominator is 2. This means that the whole it is describing is broken up into 2 equal parts.
The denominator tells you how many pieces of the whole are present. In the fraction above, the numerator is 1. This means that there is 1 piece of the whole present.
Try using the numerator and denominator to describe the following fraction:
The denominator tells you how many pieces of the whole are present. In the fraction above, the numerator is 1. This means that there is 1 piece of the whole present.
Try using the numerator and denominator to describe the following fraction:
The denominator is three. This means that the whole is cut into three parts, just like this:
Now, use the numerator to figure out how many pieces are present. The numerator is 2, so there are 2 pieces present. This means that out of the 3 pieces of the whole, there are only 2 left. This fraction would look like this:
There's your 2/3 fraction! Here we see what a fraction is like when the numerator is smaller than the denominator. But what happens when the numerator is bigger? Click To Improper Fractions to find out!