Parts of a Fraction

Let’s look at the fraction $\frac{1}{2}$ . This number is made up of three parts.

$\frac{1}{2}$

The number one at the top of the fraction is called the numerator. Numerator means the number of equal parts that are to be added together. It comes from the word numerare which means to number or to count.

The second part is the line which means divided by.

The third part is the number 2 which is on the bottom and is called the denominator. The denominator indicates the number of equal parts into which the numerator is divided. In $\frac{1}{2}$ , the unit (1) is divided into two. It also gives the fraction its name.

The word denominator comes from de- nomen -ate. Nomen means to name. The denominator is the part of the fraction that gives the fraction its name.

Here are some examples that we have already seen

$\frac{1}{2}$ is a half

$\frac{1}{4}$ is a quarter

Here are some new examples where it is move obvious that the denominator gives the fraction its name

$\frac{1}{8}$ is an eighth

$\frac{1}{10}$ is a tenth

A fraction is made up of numerator divided by denominator.

$\frac{numerator}{demoninator}$

It can help us to visualise fractions by seeing them as parts of a circle. We can take a circle and divide it up.

This is a circle that represents the unit, the number one. We will divide this circle up to create fractions.

What fraction of the circle is blue?

Here the circle has been divided into two equal parts by a line through the middle. Two is the denominator. The blue shaded area is one of these two parts.The numerator is one. The shaded area is $\frac{1}{2}$

Let’s look at another example. What fraction of this circle is blue?

Here, the unit has been divided into five equal parts. Five is the denominator. There are three shaded parts that are added together to create the numerator. Three is the numerator. The fraction of the circle that is blue is $\frac{3}{5}$ .

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