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Unit 5: Lesson 3

What fractions mean

Identifying numerators and denominators

Sal identifying numerators and denominators in fractions.  Created by Sal Khan and Monterey Institute for Technology and Education.

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• Can someone give me an in-depth explanation of what are numerators and denominators? Give me a definitive definition of a fraction!
I am confused...
(1 vote)
• The NUMERATOR is on top and the DENOMINATOR is on the bottom. Another way to put it is in the numerator the U in numerator is like "Up"
and the D in Denominator is like "Down."

P.s, if this helps anyone please give it an up-vote
• Why is a numerator called a numerator and why is it o n the top?
• It's just the name it's been given same for Denominator although Denominator seems to also be called the Dominant number because it's the Total of the Parts/Pieces/Objects and the Whole Shape, but i wouldn't think too much about the names, lots of things are given names just to help identify them.

We don't know why Numerator is on top either it just is, i guess it does make more sense to be the top number since that's the number you're taking from the Total Parts/Pieces, that's where our mind would go first it would be like "So i'm taking or adding this From/To this" that's my guess :)
• I get lost between the difference of "The number of equal parts in all the wholes" and "The number of equal parts in one whole" in the practice question. Can someone explain it to me? thanks!
• I just looked at a couple of the practice problems. The denominator = the number of equal parts that make one whole unit. The numerator is the number of parts you are counting. The option for "the number of equal parts in all the wholes" appears to be a false option to see if you understand the meaning for numerator/denominator. It really doesn't fit the definition of either one.
• Why is the bottom of the fraction called a denominator?
• In Latin:
"denominator" = that which names

The denominator of a fraction tells you the name of the part (one half, one third, one six thousand three hundred seventy first, etc.)
The numerator tells you how many of those parts there are.
• I've been trying to understand these questions, I continue to level down on being able to recognize fractions. I'm not getting it.can someone break this down for me please.
• When a figure is divided into equal parts, the fraction that is represented by the shaded area is the number of parts shaded over the total number of parts.

Example: suppose a figure is divided into 7 equal parts. Suppose 4 of the parts are shaded (so 3 of the parts are unshaded). Then the shaded area would represent the fraction 4/7.

Have a blessed, wonderful day!
• i am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bored like i will be listening to my teach and she asked me a quistion and i wont even know wat the heck shes been talking about and i dont think anyone else does eather
• the denominator is the bottom and the numerator is the number on top??
• What helps me remember is that the "denominator" and "down" both start with a "d". If I remember that the Denominator is on the bottom (Down), then I know that the numerator has to be on top.

A math teacher taught this to me a long time ago and still use it to help me remember.