Transcript Fractions on a Number Lilne

How to Find a Fraction on a
Number line –
Using Fractions to Read an Inch Ruler
August, 2012
7th Grade
A number line and a ruler are very
much alike.
0
1
2
On a ruler, each inch is considered
one whole inch
One
In.
Two
In.
Three
In.
Nine
whole
inches
The tick marks in between the
whole inches are fractions of an
inch
½ Inch
7 ¼ inches
2 ¾ Inches
Number lines are read the same
way.


The Numbers are read as whole numbers.
The tick marks in between are read as
fractions (or decimals).
0
1
2
There are three steps to reading
fractions on a number line
Step One - Count the intervals between the zero
and the one on the number line. That is your
denominator.
0
1
4
2
Step Two - Count the tick marks (starting at the
first tick mark after zero). Stop at the point you
are naming.
This is the Numerator.
0
1
3
4
There is only a step three if the
fraction is past a whole number.
If the fraction is past a whole number, steps one
and two are the same except that you count the
intervals and tick marks in between the whole
numbers closest to the fraction.
0
1
2
Mixed number fractions
Step One - Count the spaces in between the
whole numbers where the fraction is placed.
That is your denominator.
0
1
2
4
Mixed number fractions
Step Two - Count the tick marks (starting at the
first tick mark after the whole number). Stop at
the point you are naming. This is the Numerator.
2
0
1
2
4
Mixed number fractions
Step Three - Write the whole number as a whole
number beside the fraction.
2
0
1
2
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