New to this section of the math curriculum or just haven't taught students to work with fractions in a while? Take a peek at this quick primer from our teacher team!
What Is an Equivalent Fraction?
Equivalent fractions are different fractions that represent the same value. They have different numerators and denominators, but they are equal in value. For example, 1/2 and 2/4 are equivalent fractions because they both represent the same value, which is 0.5. Equivalent fractions can be found by multiplying or dividing both the numerator and denominator by the same number.How Do You Find Equivalent Fractions?
Looking for tips to teach students to find equivalent fractions? In addition to the various worksheets and activities in this collection, here are some tips from our math teachers!- Multiply or divide both the numerator and denominator by the same number. For example, to find an equivalent fraction of 2/4, you can multiply both the numerator and denominator by 2 to get 4/8.
- Use the concept of a common denominator. To find an equivalent fraction with a common denominator, you can use the least common multiple (LCM) of the two denominators as the new denominator. Then, you can multiply both the numerator and denominator of one of the fractions by the same number to make them equivalent. For example, if you have the fractions 2/3 and 3/4 and you want to find an equivalent fraction with a common denominator of 12, you would multiply the numerator and denominator of 2/3 by 4 and the numerator and denominator of 3/4 by 3 to get 8/12 and 9/12, respectively.
- Simplifying the fraction by dividing the numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor, so the fraction is in its most simplified form. This is also referred to as a fraction in the lowest terms.