Fractions
A
fraction or
simple fraction or
common fraction or
vulgar fraction is a number of the form
, where
m and
n are integer numbers,
m (the number above the line) is called numerator and
n (the number below the line) is called denominator.
Denominator should not be equal to zero.
The word
fraction is from Latin word
fractus which means broken.
The word
vulgar is from Latin word
vulgar which means common.
Proper and improper fractions
A simple fraction is called a
proper fraction if the absolute value of the fraction numerator (numerator without the sign) is less then fraction denominator. Otherwise a fraction is called
improper fraction.
Examples of proper fractions:
Examples of improper fractions:
Mixed numbers
A fraction written in the form of an integer number and proper fraction is called a
mixed number, it can be also called
mixed fraction or
mixed numeral.
Examples of mixed numbers:
,
,
.
A mixed fraction can be written in the form of improper fraction, as an integer number can be always presented as improper fraction with any denominator, for example:
5 =
=
=
=
=
Then
5
2/3
= 5 +
2/3
=
15/3
+
2/3
=
17/3
.
Then the formula for representing
mixed numbers as
improper fractions is:
.
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