Fractions: The beginning

Fractions to this day still scare me. I look at them and freak out a little, but once they make a bit of sense to you; you will be getting them done in no time, with no anxiety what-so-ever! The key is is to understand what a fraction is, the types of them, and how they work.

Fractions are defined as a ratio of algebraic quantities similarly expressed.

A common fractions is written as:  
  2  = numerator says how many parts in the fraction
___
  5  =denominator says how many equal parts in the whole object


When an object is divided into a number of equal parts then each part is called a fraction.
REMEMBER: The denominator of a fraction can NEVER be 0. (because you cannot divide by 0!)

Three different types of fractions are:

• Proper Fractions Numerator < Denominator
  Proper fractions have the nominator part smaller than the denominator part,
  for example , or  .
• Improper Fractions Numerator > Denominator or Numerator = Denominator,
  Improper fractions have the nominator part greater or equal to the denominator part,
  for exampleor .
• Mixed Fractions
  Mixed fractions have a whole number plus a fraction, for example 2or 123 .