A fraction represents a part of a whole. Imagine a pizza cut into equal slices. Here we have a circle divided into 4 equal parts. If we take 3 of these parts, we can write this as the fraction 3 over 4, or three-fourths.
Every fraction has two main parts. The top number is called the numerator, which tells us how many parts we have. The bottom number is called the denominator, which tells us how many equal parts the whole is divided into. The line between them is the fraction bar, which means divided by.
Now let's learn how to read fractions. Looking at three-fourths, we see a rectangle divided into 4 equal parts, with 3 parts shaded. The numerator 3 tells us we have three parts. The denominator 4 tells us there are four total parts. We read this as "three-fourths" or "three out of four parts".
Let's look at different fraction examples. One-half shows a circle divided into 2 equal parts with 1 part shaded. Two-thirds shows a rectangle divided into 3 parts with 2 parts shaded. Five-eighths shows a rectangle divided into 8 parts with 5 parts shaded. Each fraction represents a different portion of a whole.
Fractions are used everywhere in real life! When cooking, we might use half a cup of flour. For time, a quarter hour equals 15 minutes. When sharing pizza, we might eat three-eighths of it. With money, a quarter dollar is 25 cents. Understanding fractions helps us describe and work with parts of things we encounter every day.