Mixed numbers and improper fractions · Grade 7
In Grade 7 you learn: multiplying and dividing mixed numbers.
An improper fraction has a top number bigger than its bottom number, like 7/4. A mixed number writes the same amount as whole ones plus a fraction: 1 3/4. Recipes, measurements and times often use mixed numbers, while calculations are usually easier with improper fractions.
Key facts
- Improper to mixed: divide the top by the bottom. The answer is the whole number; the remainder goes on top.
- Mixed to improper: multiply the whole number by the bottom, add the top, keep the bottom.
- 2 3/5 = (2 × 5 + 3)/5 = 13/5
- An improper fraction is more than 1. A whole number can be written as a fraction too: 3 = 6/2 = 12/4.
- Always simplify the fraction part: 6 4/12 = 6 1/3.
Worked examples
Example 1
Write 17/5 as a mixed number.
Answer: 3 2/5
Example 2
Write 4 2/7 as an improper fraction.
Answer: 30/7