Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions
Introduction
Traditional fractions are usually written with a lower numerator and higher denominator. An improper fraction is one where the denominator is higher than the numerator. A mixed fraction (or mixed number) is when a whole number is combined with a fraction.
Terms
Lesson
An improper fraction can always be expressed as a mixed fraction. If we are given , we need to perform the division and then write the answer as a mixed fraction.
So (with 3 as the remainder) – this can be written as
Similarly, if we are given a mixed fraction and asked to express it as a improper fraction, we multiply the whole number by the denominator and add the numerator. The result becomes the new numerator and the denominator remains the same.
So in the case of , the whole number is first multiplied by the denominator (1*3) then added to the numerator (3+1). The final result is .