There are different types of fraction. Two types are unit fractions and non-unit fractions.
Unit fractions
Unit means one. Here are some examples of unit fractions:
Can you spot the pattern? A unit fraction is one part of a whole that is divided into equal parts.
A unit fraction has 1 as the top number, which is the numerator.
Have another look at the fractions above. With unit fractions, when the bottom number - called the
denominator - is bigger, the value of the unit fraction is smaller.
What other unit fractions can you think of?
Non-unit fractions
Unit means one, so non-unit is any number apart from one. Here are some examples of non-unit
fractions.
A non-unit fraction is many parts of a whole that is divided into equal parts.
When you’re sharing or dividing items into fractions you can estimate - or guess - the amount. If
you have four friends around for a pizza you probably don’t spend time measuring each quarter
exactly! Often when using fractions you estimate measurements, for example when you split food
up into pieces:
You estimate halves and quarters in everyday life. Sometimes you use them to compare sizes, or
to describe something. For example:
1 1
The child is about half, or 2 , the There’s about a quarter, or 4, off
height of the man. the price in the sales!
My train will be about a quarter of The glass is half full. Or are you
an hour late. the type of person who would
say the glass is half empty?
When else have you used fractions in everyday life?
You need to be able to recognise and name fractions in shapes. This will help you recognise
fractions in everyday shapes, such as when cutting a pizza into quarters!
Let’s look at how you ‘read’ fraction shapes.
First, look at how many parts there are:
Note how the shape
This shape is split into two equal parts, the bottom number of is divided into two
the fraction. equal parts.
Next, look at how many parts are shaded:
One part is shaded, this is the top number of the fraction.
1
The shaded fraction is one out of the two parts. This is a half, or 2.
Here are some more examples:
This shape is split into four equal parts, the bottom number of
the fraction.
Three parts are shaded - this is the top number of the fraction.
The shaded fraction is three out of the four parts. This is three
3
quarters, or 4.
This shape is split into ten equal parts, the bottom number of
the fraction.
Two parts are shaded, this is the top number of the fraction.
2
The shaded fraction is two out of the ten parts. This is two tenths, or 10.
Fraction pieces
With fractions, the larger the denominator (the number on the bottom) the more pieces a whole is
split up into and the smaller the pieces. For example, the more people you share a pizza with, the
smaller your piece will be.
For example, the pizzas below have been split up to be shared between:
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