Consider each part of the defined term one at a time.
fraction
Practice makes perfect
We want to complete the following sentence.
A(n) is a number that can be used to describe a part of a whole, a part of a set, a location on a number line, or a division of whole numbers.
We are asked to complete it with one of the terms from the given box.
To find which of these is a term defined by the sentence, let's consider each part of the definition one at a time. We are told that it can describe a part of a whole or a part of a set. Let's consider a pizza and say that we want half of it. An example of how we can say this is by calling it half of the pizza, or one half of the pizza.
We are also told that it can be a location on a number line. On a number line, we can locate whole numbers, like 3, but also numbers involving decimals, like 1.5.
Finally, we are told that it can be a division of whole numbers. Let's list a few examples of the division of whole numbers.
4/5, 7/3, 1/9, 123/67
Note that we can also rewrite the numbers that we located on the number line in this notation.
1.5 = 15/10, and 3= 3/1
We can see that all the numbers that describe the term can be written in the form ab. Numbers that can be written like this are called fractions. Now, we can complete the given sentence.
A fraction is a number that can be used to describe a part of a whole, a part of a set, a location on a number line, or a division of whole numbers.
