What is a Rational Number?
- A rational number is any number that can be written as a fraction or a quotient. Example: = A rational number
What I know about Number Lines
- You can place fractions on a number line between whole numbers. In order to do this you have to make them have a common denominator. For example you can place and between the numbers 8 and 9 on the number line. But before you can do that you have to find a common denominator, which would change them to and . You can then plot them on the number line.
What I know about Comparing Fractions
- How can you tell if a rational number is greater than another? You can create a common denominator to find out which one is greater than the other.
- For example: Which fraction is greater? or
- Find the common denominator and change it to and
- Now you can see that is greater than because 6 parts out of 12 is greater than 4 parts out of 12.
What I know about Adding and Subtraction Fractions
- For both adding and subtracting fractions you have to find a common denominator
- For example: + you would need to change it to +
- Next, you would add the numerators and keep the denominator the same which would equal to
- The same rules apply for subtracting fractions
What I know about Multiplying Fractions
- You don’t need a common denominator when multiplying fractions. Like Ms. Burton says it’s a “Just do it question.”
- For example: is equal to
- If your answer is a fraction that is not in its’ simplest form, you would simplify it.
- To simplify a fraction you would divide both the top and bottom of the fraction by the greatest common factor. For example in the largest number that would go exactly into both 8 and 12 would be the number 4. You would divide both the top and bottom by 4 and you would get the simplified fraction of
What I know about Dividing Fractions
- Let’s look at the equation
- You would need to change the second fraction in the division equation upside down. It becomes a reciprocal. For example would become
- Next you would change it from a division question to a multiplication question = = 3