1/2 and 2/4 look different but cover exactly the same amount.
Equivalent means equal in value, even though it is written differently.
Step 1: Let's Learn
Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.
They sit at the same point
On a number line, 1/2 and 2/4 land on exactly the same spot.
Why it happens
Cut every piece in two. You have twice as many pieces, each half the size.
1/2, 2/4, 3/6, and 4/8 are all the same number.
Different names for the same place
1/2 and 2/4 and 4/8 all land on exactly the same point on the number line. They are equivalent fractions: different names for one number. Cutting the pieces smaller and taking proportionally more of them does not change how much you have.
Seeing it in a shape
Shade half a rectangle. Now draw a line splitting every piece in two. You have not changed the shaded amount at all, but there are now 4 pieces with 2 shaded. The shading proves 1/2 = 2/4 without any arithmetic.
The simplest name
Among all the names for one number, we usually prefer the one with the smallest numbers: 1/2 rather than 4/8. It is easier to picture and easier to compare. Finding it is a Grade 4 skill, but recognising that 4/8 and 1/2 are the same starts here.
Step 2: Try It Yourself
Two names, one point on the line.
1/2
2/4
1/2 is equal to 2/4.
Compare how much of the whole each one covers.
Step 3: Watch an Example
One step at a time.
Watch Leo Cut Each Piece
Leo starts with a bar showing 1/2.
- Step 1
He cuts every piece in half, turning 2 pieces into 4.
Step 4: Your Turn
Practice makes it stick.
Two Names
Problem 1 of 2
2/4 is the same as which simpler fraction?
Sixths and Thirds
Problem 2 of 2
How many sixths are the same as 1/3?
sixths
Same Amount, Different Name
1 of 4
How many eighths equal 1/2?
2 of 4
How many sixths equal 1/2?
3 of 4
How many fourths equal 2/8?
4 of 4
How many eighths equal 3/4?
Step 5: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 2
How many sixths equal 1/3?
Question 2 of 2
What makes two fractions equivalent?
What You Learned
- Equivalent fractions are the same amount with different names.
- They land on the same point of the number line.
- Cutting every piece in two doubles both numbers.