A fraction represents equal parts of a whole, with the numerator indicating how many parts are being counted and the denominator indicating how many equal parts make up the whole. For example, if a pizza is cut into ten equal slices and three slices are eaten, that fraction of the pizza eaten is represented as 3/10, with the numerator 3 showing the number of slices eaten and the denominator 10 showing the total number of equal slices the whole pizza was divided into. Fractions allow us to represent a part of a whole using numbers.

1. WHAT IS A FRACTION

2. THE DEFINITION OF A FRACTION
• A fraction is a number that shows equal parts of a whole.
• The parts of a fraction
• Numerator – how many parts are being counted.
• Denominator – how many equal parts are in the whole.

3. THE NUMERATOR
• This shows how many parts of the whole are being counted.
• Let’s think about a pizza for a bit.
• The pizza we order is the whole.
• The slices that we eat are the numerator.
So, can you see what fraction of
the pizza that is about to be
eaten?

4. THE DENOMINATOR
• This shows how many equal parts there are in the whole.
• Let’s think about that pizza again.
• When we open the box we see ten slices.
• If there are ten equal slices then our denominator is ten.
There are ten slices in
this pizza. So each slice
is 1/10 of the pizza.

5. JUST A REMINDER
• We use fractions to show us a part of the whole thing.
• A numerator shows how much we are counting.
• The denominator shows how many equal parts there are.
Now, if you’ll excuse me…