Fractions of a whole: word problems

key notes :

What is a fraction? A fraction represents part of a whole. Here are some examples of fractions.

A circle split into two equal parts with the right half shaded and labeled with the fraction one over two. A second circle split into four equal parts with three of the fourths shaded and labeled with the fraction three over four. A third circle split into six equal parts with four of the sixths shaded and labeled with the fraction four over six.

In a fraction, the top number is called the numerator. The bottom number is called the denominator.

The fraction three fourths with the three labeled as the numerator and the four labeled as the denominator.

Learn with an example

😮 Reshma is making a round rug for the floor in her bedroom. Reshma uses 3 equal-sized pieces of cloth to make her rug. Reshma uses 1 piece of colorful cloth. The rest of the pieces are plain white cloth.

What fraction of the rug is colorful?

The rug is the whole.

Nicole makes the rug out of 3 equal-sized pieces of cloth. The denominator of the fraction is 3.

Nicole uses 1 piece of colorful cloth. The rest of the pieces are plain white cloth. The numerator of the fraction is 1.

In Nicole’s bedroom, 1/3 of the rug is colorful.

😮 Ollie and his dad are making rock candy. The first step is to pour sugar into boiling water. So, Ollie opens a 4-cup bag of sugar. Ollie’s dad pours 1 cup into the water.

What fraction of the bag of sugar does Ollie’s dad pour into the water?

The bag of sugar is the whole.When Ollie opens the bag of sugar, it has 4 cups in it. The denominator of the fraction is 4.

Ollie’s dad pours 1 cup into the water. The numerator of the fraction is 1.

Ollie’s dad pours 1/4 of the bag of sugar into the water.

Let’s practice!