When you divide two numbers and the answer is not a whole number, the answer is called a fraction. The top number of a fraction, also called the numerator, tells you how many parts you have. The bottom number, called the denominator, tells you how many parts you want to make.

For example: If a recipe calls for 1/2 cup of flour and there are 2 cups of flour in an entire bag, then each cup will have 1/2 cup. If 1/2 cup were divided into two separate cups, each would have 1/4 cup of flour.

If you know that 5 is half as big as 10 and 6 is half as big as 12, then 5/6 is half as big as 10/12. If someone says that 5 apples cost less than 6 bananas, then this means that 5 costs less than 6 because 6 is twice as big as 5 (or six times bigger).

Last modified: October 8, 2022