Counting fourths does not stop at 4/4. It carries on: 5/4, 6/4, 7/4.
Step 1: Let's Learn
Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.
Past the 1
5/4 is one whole and one more fourth. On the line it sits just past 1.
This is not a mistake
A fraction with a bigger top than bottom is a perfectly ordinary number.
If two pizzas are each cut into 4, you can eat 5 slices. That is 5/4.
Counting past the whole
Count in quarters: 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4. Nothing stops at 4/4. Once you pass it you are past one whole, and 5/4 means one whole and one more quarter. Counting out loud in fractions makes this feel completely natural.
Two ways to write it
5/4 can also be written 1 1/4 — one whole and one quarter. The first form is called an improper fraction and the second a mixed number. They are the same amount, and which you use depends on what you are doing with it.
Spotting it at a glance
If the top number is bigger than the bottom, the fraction is more than one. If they are equal it is exactly one. If the top is smaller it is less than one. That check takes no time and gives you a sense of size before any calculation.
Step 2: Try It Yourself
Tap and try it out.
5/4
3/4
5/4 is greater than 3/4.
The pieces are the same size, so more pieces means more.
Step 3: Watch an Example
One step at a time.
Watch Ana Count Past One
Ana counts fourths along the line.
- Step 1
She counts 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, and reaches 4/4 at the 1.
Step 4: Your Turn
Practice makes it stick.
The Pizzas
Problem 1 of 2
Two pizzas are each cut into 4. You eat 6 slices. What fraction is that?
fourths
Landing on Two
Problem 2 of 2
How many thirds land exactly on the 2?
thirds
Past the Whole
1 of 3
How many fourths land on the 2?
2 of 3
How many halves land on the 3?
3 of 3
Is 7/4 bigger or smaller than 1?
Step 5: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 2
How many fifths land on the 2?
Question 2 of 2
Is 9/8 bigger or smaller than 1?
What You Learned
- Counting fractions does not stop at one whole.
- 5/4 sits just past the 1 on the line.
- A bigger top than bottom is a perfectly ordinary number.