Fractions on Number Lines
I have learned how to do fractions on a number line in previous years, but I learned how to do them an easier way for me to understand and I also learned about placing the negative fractions on a number line. I know that if it is a positive fraction I know that it will be on the right side of zero and if it is a negative it will be on the left. It is easy to tell if a fraction is going to be a positive or negative because of the symbols, so I know where to place it. If it is a mixed fraction I know that the fraction has to be placed passed the whole number that is given in the equation and on the number line. The bottom number says how many pieces that the section is cut into and the top number tells how many spaces that it moves up or down, depending on if it is a positive or negative.
Comparing Fractions
To compare fractions I learned that there are multiple ways to do it. An easy way to tell if one is bigger than the other is if one is a negative and one is a positive because the positive is always bugger. If they are the same, both positive or negative, then you look at the denominator and determine is they are the same or different. If they are the same then you can just look at the top number and look which one is bigger, but if they are different you have to find a common denominator. If it is a mixed fraction you can look at the whole number to see which one is bigger, or if they are the same just compare the fractions.
Adding/ Subtracting Fractions
When adding and subtracting fractions you only add/subtract the numerator, which is the top number. The only way that you can add it is if you have the same denominator, so if the number is different you have to find a common denominator. If you are adding/subtracting a negative fraction you always want to make sure that the negative is always the numerator or the whole fraction, not the denominator. When you are trying to determine whether your answer is a positive or a negative you have to look at the symbols. See if there are two negatives beside each other because that equals a positive. We were also taught how to do “high school” fractions which is where you put the whole equation on top of the denominator and evaluate it from there.
Multiplying/ Dividing Fractions
Multiplying and dividing fractions are probably the easiest ones to do for me. For multiplying you don’t have to change the numerators or denominators, you just multiply it even if there is a negative. To determine if the answer is a positive or a negative you just look at the number of negatives in the equation. If there is an odd number of negatives the answer will be a negative, but if there is an even number of negatives the answer will be a positive. When you are dividing fractions you can make it a reciprocal which means you flip the fraction to make it multiplication. When you flip the fraction you only flip one of them, and you can reduce the numbers to make them smaller and easier to work with. Once you simplify the fractions you can just multiply it across like it is a multiplication question, and do the same thing to determine if it is a positive or negative answer.
Something Else I Learned About Rational Numbers