INSTRUCTIONS

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

The circles below show the fraction 3 5/6.  You are to write the fraction in mixed number form with a whole number, numerator, and denominator.

Each whole numbers is represented by a complete filled-in circle. Enter 3 for the whole number because there are three filled circles. The numerator is 5 because there are 5 filled-in parts in the partial circle. The denominator is 6 because there are 6 equal parts in the partial circle.

Other methods can be used to arrive at the answer. One method is to see how many 6/6 there are in the fraction 23/6. In this case there are 3 units of 6/6 in 23/6, giving a whole number 3. After 3 units of 6/6 there are 5 more parts, giving a numerator of 5. The denominator is 6 because there are 6 equal parts in a complete circle.  This method is illustrated below:

The other method is to divide the numerator by the denominator. The quotient is three with a remainder of 5, giving a whole number of 3, a numerator of 5, and a denominator of 6. This method is illustrated below: