Dictionary Definition
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a proper fraction as "a fraction whose magnitude is less than one, the numerator being lower in magnitude than the denominator."Examples of Proper Fractions
Here are some examples of proper fractions:
Visualizing Proper Fractions
A useful way of visualizing fractions is to picture it as a cake being cut into equal parts. The top number (the numerator) tells you have many slices you have. The bottom number (the denominator) tells you how many equal slices the cake is cut into. For proper fractions, there are not enough slices to make a whole cake:
Interactive Widget
Here is an interactive widget to help you learn about the types of fractions.What Is a Fraction?
A fraction is a part of a whole number. Fractions consist of a numerator and a denominator. There are three different types of fractions:- Proper fractions
- Improper fractions
- Mixed fractions
The Size of Proper Fractions
The size of a proper fraction is always less than 1. We visualize this by noticing there are never enough slices to make a cake.
This page was written by Stephen Clarke.
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