Improper Fractions and Mixed Numbers

Axel and Tank have recieved a postcard from their friend. "Wow Axel, look at all that snow!" "What's this?" "It looks like a recipe to make our own snow!" "Cool, except the ingredients are written as these special fractions!" "That can't be right!" Let's learn about, "Converting Improper Fractions to Mixed Numbers," so that we can help Axel and Tank make snow! An improper fraction, is a fraction with a numerator that is greater than the denominator. We can convert, or change, improper fractions into mixed numbers so that they are easier to understand. A mixed number is a combination of a whole number and a fraction. Let's look at how to convert the improper fraction seven-thirds into a mixed number. The first step is to represent seven-thirds using fraction bars like this. Fraction bars can help us because they are a visual model of our fraction. Each whole bar is broken up into thirds to match our denominator. and we need to shade in seven parts to match our numerator. This fraction bar has three parts, but as we need to shade more than three parts, we will need another fraction bar. Now we have six parts, but we need to shade in seven parts, so we'll need one more fraction bar to represent all seven parts. The second step is to count how many wholes we have shaded in. Because two fraction bars have been completely shaded in, our whole is two. Finally, record the remaining part as a fraction, which is one-third. So seven-thirds written as a mixed number is two and one-third. Now that we know how to convert an improper fraction into a mixed number, let's help Axel and Tank make snow! Firstly, they need "five-quarter cups" of baking soda. You can see it's an improper fraction because the numerator is greater than the denominator. What is the first step to convert this fraction into a mixed number? The first step is to represent five-quarters using fraction bars. We need to shade in five parts because the numerator is five. The second step is to count how many wholes are shaded in. How many wholes are shaded in? There is one whole fraction bar shaded in, so we write our whole, one. What is the third step? The third step is to record the remaining fraction. What is the remaining fraction? One-quarter, so Axel and Tank need ONE and "one quarter cups" of baking soda. Finally, they need nine-sixths cups of shaving cream. What is the first step to convert this to a mixed number? We represent nine-sixths using fraction bars. What is the next step? Count how many wholes we have shaded in. How many wholes are shaded in? One whole is shaded in. What is the last step? Write the remaining fraction. The remaining fraction is three-sixths. What do you notice about three-sixths? Three-sixths is not written in its simplest form. Remember, we can simplify fractions with many parts into fractions with fewer parts to make them easier to understand. What is three-sixths in its simplest form? Three-sixths in its simplest form is one-half we know this because half of the fraction bar is shaded! The whole number stays the same so Axel and Tank need one and a half cups of shaving cream. Before we see how the snow turned out, let's summarise. Remember, an improper fraction is a fraction with a numerator that is greater than the denominator. A mixed number is a combination of a whole number and a fraction. The first step is to represent the improper fraction using fraction bars. The second step is to record how many wholes are shaded in. Finally, we record the remaining fraction and simplify it as needed. Let's see how the snow recipe turned out! "Okay, I added all of the ingredients!" "Axel! What did I tell you about forgetting your glasses. I don't think you measured this right!"