Fractions

A fraction is a mathematical way of expressing a value that is less than a

whole unit or one. It can also be use to express a ratio of two values. A
fraction consist of two parts, a numerator and a denominator. The
denominator is the number that the numerator is being divided by. There
are three types of fractions: proper, improper and mixed fractions. A proper
fraction consists of a numerator that is smaller than the denominator while
an improper fraction contains a larger numerator than the denominator.

Mixed fractions contain an integer and a proper fraction. Mixed fractions

and improper fractions are interchangeable.

Comparing

In order to find out which of two fractions is larger, a technique called cross
multiplying is used. The first cross product is the multiplication of the first
numerator with the second denominator. The second cross product is the
multiplication of the second numerator with the first denominator. If the first
cross product is larger than the second, then the first fraction is larger than
the second. Below, two fractions are compared using this method and it
can be seen that the second fraction is larger.

Adding

In order to add fractions, there are several rules about what format they can
be in. First off, mixed fractions must be converted to improper fractions
before they can be added. Secondly, fractions can only be added if they
have a common denominator. In order to add fractions with different
denominators, it is necessary to convert them so they have the same
denominator. There are two methods of adding fractions. The first method
is the method of the lowest common denominator (LCD). This method
simply involves making a list of the multiples of each denominator and
finding the lowest number common to both lists. This is the LCD. Once the
LCD is found, the multiple needed to convert each denominator to the LCD
is determined and both the numerator and the denominator of each fraction
is multiplied by this number. Once the fractions are converted, the
numerators can be added.

The second method involves simply multiplying the denominator of the

second fraction by both the numerator and the denominator of the first
fraction and multiplying the denominator of the first fraction by both the
numerator and the denominator of the second fraction. Then the
numerators are added as for the first method. However, in many cases the
resulting fraction is not in its lowest terms and needs to be reduced. This
means that it is possible to factor out a common number from both the
numerator and denominator. Once the fraction is reduced, the answer
should match the answer obtained using the first method. This method
makes the first step easier but adds a step at the end.

If the fractions to be added are mixed fractions, the fractions need to be

converted to improper fractions as stated above. When adding a fraction
and a whole number, the whole number is treated as a mixed fraction and
also needs to be converted into an improper fraction before it can be
added.
Subtracting

Subtracting fractions is just like adding fractions. The denominators of all of

the fractions must be the same. The only difference is that the numerators
are subtracted rather than added.

Multiplying

Multiplying fractions does not require that the fractions have the same
denominator. Instead, the numerators are multiplied with each other and
the denominators are multiplied with each other. However, the resulting
fraction may not be in lowest terms so it may need to be reduced.

It is possible to reduce before multiplying. This is useful if there are many

numbers to multiply or if the numbers are large. To do this, factor each of
the numerators and each of the denominators. Once the numerators and
denominators are factored, numbers that appear in both the numerators
and the denominators can be eliminated. It does not matter which
numerator or which denominator the number originally appeared in.

Just as in addition, the fractions need to be proper or improper fractions in

order to multiply them. Therefore, mixed fractions need to be converted to
improper fractions. Whole numbers however do not need to be converted
to improper fractions. The whole number can simply be multiplied to the
numerator.

Dividing Fractions
In order to divide fractions it is necessary to only consider two fractions at a
time. To divide fractions the second fractions is inverted. The numerator
becomes the denominator and vice versa. Once the fraction is inverted the
fractions are then multiplied in the usual fashion. In order to consider more
than two fractions, first the first two fractions are divided. Then the resulting
new fraction and the next fraction are divided.

As before with adding and multiplying, mixed numbers need to be

converted to improper fractions before dividing. When dividing a whole
number by a fraction, use the same rule. Invert the fraction and multiply.
However, if the fraction is being divided by the whole number, the whole
number must be inverted and then multiplied. Inverting a whole number is
done by creating a fraction with one in the numerator and the whole
number in the denominator.