A fraction is a number. Like any number, it has a place on the line.
Step 1: Let's Learn
Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.
Cut the space from 0 to 1
For fourths, cut the space between 0 and 1 into 4 equal parts.
Count from zero
3/4 is three of those parts along from 0.
The parts must be equal
If the marks are not evenly spaced, the line cannot name a fraction.
A fraction is a number
Fractions are not only shaded shapes — they are numbers, and every number has a place on the number line. 3/4 sits between 0 and 1, three quarters of the way along. Seeing fractions on a line is what turns them from pictures into numbers you can compute with.
How to place one
To place 3/4, split the space from 0 to 1 into 4 equal parts, then count 3 of them from 0. The bottom number tells you how to cut the line; the top number tells you how far to count. Exactly the same two jobs as with a shape.
There is always something in between
Between 0 and 1 there is 1/2. Between 0 and 1/2 there is 1/4. Between 0 and 1/4 there is 1/8. You can keep going forever. The number line is not made of separate steps like the counting numbers — it is completely filled in.
Step 2: Try It Yourself
Change the denominator and watch the ticks change.
These parts are not the same size, so this line cannot be used to name a fraction.
Marker
Step 3: Watch an Example
One step at a time.
Watch Leo Place 3/4
Leo is asked to find 3/4 on a number line.
- Step 1
He finds 0 and 1 first, because that is the whole.
Step 4: Your Turn
Practice makes it stick.
Reading the Line
Problem 1 of 2
A line from 0 to 1 is cut into 6 parts. A dot sits on the fifth mark. What fraction is it?
sixths
Halfway
Problem 2 of 2
On a line cut into 8 parts, which mark is halfway between 0 and 1?
eighths
Find It on the Line
1 of 3
A line cut into 4 parts. How many parts along is 3/4?
2 of 3
How many equal parts do you cut for eighths?
3 of 3
Must the marks be evenly spaced?
Step 5: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 2
A line cut into 5 parts. How many parts along is 2/5?
Question 2 of 2
Where do you start counting on the line?
What You Learned
- A fraction is a number with a place on the line.
- Cut the space from 0 to 1 into equal parts.
- Count the parts from 0.