Understanding Fractions: Numerator and Denominator
What is a Fraction? A fraction represents a part of a whole. It shows us how many equal pieces we have out of a total number of equal pieces.
Parts of a Fraction
Every fraction has two important parts separated by a line:
3 ← Numerator (top number)
4 ← Denominator (bottom number)
The Fraction Bar means "divided by" or "out of"
One Thread: A fraction is equal parts of a whole
Touch. Take a strip of paper, fold it in half and in half again. Unfold it: the folds split the strip into 4 equal parts. Colour 3 of them.
Draw. Draw a rectangle, divide it into 4 equal boxes and shade 3 — like the picture above.
Write. 3/4. The denominator 4 tells how many equal parts the strip was folded into. The numerator 3 tells how many parts are coloured.
Task for the student: "Draw what you did with your hands — so that someone else can understand it. Then write it in numbers."
Introduction to Multiplication as Repeated Addition · The Concept of a Fraction