INSTRUCTIONS

Identify Mixed Numbers uses number lines to demonstrate the meaning of whole number, numerator and denominator.

The number line below shows the fraction 20/7.  You are to write the fraction in mixed number form with a whole number, numerator, and denominator.

The whole numbers in the illustration are 0, 1, 2, and 3. Because the arrow is to the right of 2, you will enter 2 for the whole number. The numerator is 8 because the arrow points to the 8th of the 9 parts between 2 and 3. The denominator is 9 because there are 9 parts between 2 and 3.

Besides looking at the number line, there are other methods can be used to arrive at the answer. One method is to see how many 9/9 there are in the fraction 26/9. In this case there are 2 units of 9/9 in 26/9, giving a whole number 1. After 2 units of 7/7 there are 6 more parts, giving a numerator of 6. The denominator is 9 because there are 9 parts between 2 and 3.  This method is illustrated below.

Another method is to divide the numerator by the denominator. The denominator divides twice into the numerator with a remainder of 8, giving a whole number of 2, a numerator of 8, and a denominator of 9. This method is illustrated below.