First fractions · Usually met around P3
What a fraction is
Bottom: how many equal parts; top: how many taken.
How to do it
Method
Bottom: how many equal parts; top: how many taken
4 equal parts, 3 taken: 34
Another way
Count the parts
3 shaded of 4 → 34
In full
Cut a whole into equal parts: each part is one of them — a quarter, a fifth — and some of the parts make a fraction. 34 means the whole is cut into 4 equal parts (the denominator, 4) and 3 of them are taken (the numerator, 3). If the parts aren't equal, a fraction can't describe them. A set of things can be a whole too: 12 apples shared into 4 equal groups is 3 in each, so a group is 14 of them, and 3 groups are 9 apples. Or count squares: shaded squares on top, all the squares underneath.
Worked examples
Have a go first, then open each one for the answer and the working.
Example 1
12 counters are shared into 4 equal groups, a row each. What fraction of them are the 3 shaded counters?
Answer in simplest form
Show the answer and working
Answer: 14
Each group has 3, so 3 is 1 groups: 14.
Example 2
The rectangle is cut into 4 parts, so the shaded part is 14 of it.
True or false?
Show the answer and working
Answer: False
Each part is 14 only if the 4 parts are equal. Check whether they are the same size.
Example 3
The circle is cut into equal slices. What fraction of it is NOT shaded?
Answer in simplest form
Show the answer and working
Answer: 45
5 equal slices, 1 shaded, so 4 are not: 45.
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