Fractions on a number line
Recognise and use fractions as numbers: place unit fractions and non-unit fractions with small denominators on a number line
What a learner can do afterwards
- Place 1/2, 1/4, 3/4 on a number line from 0 to 1
- Identify that 1/3 lies between 0 and 1/2 on the number line
- Understand that a fraction is a single number, not just 'part of a shape'
1 · Read
A fraction is a number. It has an exact place on a number line. Fractions such as 1/4 and 3/4 lie between 0 and 1. Some fractions equal 1 or are greater than 1. Here we will look at the stretch from 0 to 1.
Halfway means the same distance from each end. On a line in quarters, two jumps reach the middle and two more reach 1. That middle point has two names: 2/4 and 1/2.
Numbers get bigger as you move right. To compare marked fractions, look at their places. Of the points 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4, the 3/4 point is farthest right. It is also nearest to 1.
This line has six equal small jumps from 0 to 1. Each small jump is 1/6. Two small jumps reach 1/3, and three reach 1/2. Both fractions can now sit on marks on the same line. Numbers get bigger to the right, so 1/3 is smaller than 1/2. It is one small jump from 1/2 and two from 0, so it is closer to 1/2.
The bottom number tells how many equal jumps fill one whole. Splitting the same whole into more equal parts makes each part smaller. A third is smaller than a half because three equal pieces must fit into the same whole as two equal pieces.
Count gaps to count jumps, not marks. On a line in fifths, moving from 2/5 to 1 crosses three gaps: to 3/5, then 4/5, then 1. Moving left follows the marks in reverse. Count only the gaps you cross, not the starting point.
A fraction is a number on a line. Its bottom number names its jump size. Its top counts jumps of that size from 0, which may cover more than one small gap.
Readings and practice questions written for this learning dataset. Includes retained fraction flashcards and a video reference from Khan Academy.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
17 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.