INSTRUCTIONS

Mixed Numbers to Fractions uses circles to demonstrate how a number in mixed form can be renamed in fraction form.

The circles below show the mixed number 2 2/5.  You are to write 2 2/5 in fraction form with only a numerator and denominator.

In the example below, you will notice that each of the two whole circles has 5 colored pieces and the part circle has 2 colored pieces, giving 12 colored pieces. 12 is the numerator of the fraction. Because each circle has 5 equal parts the denominator is 5, giving a fraction of 12/5.  Some textbooks call a fraction such as this where the numerator is equal to or larger than the denominator improper. This is better known as the fraction form or the a/b form of the number.

To write the example, you can think of each whole number as 5/5. So in the above example you would have:

Another way to arrive at the numerator 12 is to multiply the whole number 2 by the denominator 5 and then add the numerator 2 as in this example: