Mixed Numbers & Improper Fractions

Mixed Numbers & Improper Fractionsvideo

Mixed numbers & improper fractions

What are mixed numbers & improper fractions?

• A mixed number has an integer part and a fraction part

  • $3\frac{3}{4}$ has the whole number 3 and the fraction $\frac{3}{4}$, meaning “three and three quarters”

• An improper fraction is also known as a top-heavy fraction

• An improper fraction is a fraction where the numerator is bigger than the denominator

  • $\frac{15}{4}$ means “fifteen quarters”

• Any fraction that is greater than 1 can be written as either a mixed number or an equivalent improper fraction

How do I convert a mixed number into an improper fraction?

• Consider $5\frac{2}{7}$

• STEP 1
  Split the whole number into multiples of the denominator

  • 1 whole is equal to 7 sevenths

    Therefore, 5 is equal to 5 × 7 = 35 sevenths

• STEP 2
  Add the numerator of the fraction part

  • 35 sevenths and 2 sevenths make 37 sevenths

  • $5\frac{2}{7}=\frac{37}{7}$

How do I convert an improper fraction into a mixed number?

• Divide the numerator by the bottom

  • For example, convert $\frac{22}{3}$ into a mixed number 

  • $22÷3=7$ remainder $1$

• The integer part of the mixed number is the whole number

• The fraction part is the remainder over the denominator

  • $\frac{22}{3}=7\frac{1}{3}$