How_To_Be_Good_At_Math

NUMBERS • COMPARING UNIT FRACTIONS 49

Comparing unit fractions

Unit fractions are fractions where the numerator is 1.

To compare unit fractions, we compare their different

denominators and put them in order.

These fractions all have the same

numerator, 1. Each of these fractions

is just one part of a whole.

Take a look at these jumbled fractions.

Let’s try to put them in ascending order.

We can compare them by looking at the

denominators. A bigger denominator

means the whole is split into more equal parts.

The more parts we split the whole into,

the smaller the parts will be. So, the larger

the denominator, the smaller the fraction. Let’s

use the denominators to put the fractions in order,

from smallest to largest.

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7 235

Numerator

Denominator

Smallest Largest

1 1 1 1

7 5 3 2

When the numerators are

the same, we can say that the

smaller the denominator,

the greater the fraction.

Largest fraction

3 572

If we show these fractions as parts of a whole

carrot, we can see how each portion gets

smaller when the denominator is greater.

048_049_Comparing_Fractions.indd 49 29/02/2016 16:39