CHAPTER

3

Fractions: Part 1

Basic Concepts

When a whole item is divided into equal parts, the relationship of one or

more of the parts to the whole is called afraction. When a pie is cut into

six equal parts, each part is one-sixth of the whole pie, as shown in Fig. 3-1.

The symbol for a fraction is two numbers separated by a bar. The fraction

five-eighths is written as^58. The top number of the fraction is called the

numeratorand the bottom number is called thedenominator.

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Fig. 3-1.

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