Concept

Fraction

Fractions are a specific type of ratio comparing a part to a whole. They are written in the form $\frac{a}{b},$ where the numerator $a$ is the part and the denominator $b$ is the whole.

$\begin{gathered} \dfrac{\text{part}}{\text{whole}}= \dfrac{a}{b}= \dfrac{\text{numerator}}{\text{denominator}} \end{gathered}$

There are many possible ways to read fractions; you can try some combinations below, but when in doubt, one universal method is to say $a$ over $b.$

Fractions are also another way to write division of the numerator by the denominator. $\begin{gathered} 18\div{9}\quad\Leftrightarrow\quad\dfrac{18}{9} \end{gathered}$ As such, a fraction like $\frac{18}{9}$ can be simplified to $\frac{2}{1}$ or just $2.$ Note: The denominator of a fraction can never be equal to $0$, since the quotient of division by $0$ is always undefined.