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A glossary of terms: fractions

Common Denominators

Education| 11+| Secondary Maths
June 30, 2024•2 min read

Common denominator: when the numbers at the bottom of the fraction are the same

I was working with a family the other day, and she was saying that her son had been doing fractions for his homework and she’d had to look up what an integer was.

So, I hope this (very short) glossary helps:

Integer: whole number

Denominator: the number at the bottom of the fraction

Numerator: the number at the top of the fraction

Common denominator: when the numbers at the bottom of the fraction are the same.  

If you have common denominators and you are asked to add the fraction, it becomes as simple as just adding the top numbers together, the bottom numbers stay the same.

It’s a bit like saying, I have a cake cut into 8 pieces (that’s the bottom number, the denominator).

You take 2 pieces and I take1 piece. The number of pieces we each take are the numerators. So, how many pieces did we take altogether? 2+1 =3

So, our answer will be 3/8 Three out of the 8 pieces have been taken.

It’s the same with subtracting. If we again have a cake that has been cut into 8 pieces, By the time I get to the table, you have again taken 2 pieces, so we have 6/8 pieces left.

When the cake was whole, we had 8 pieces, you took 2, this left us with 6 out of the 8 pieces, which as a fraction would be written as 6/8.  

I then come along and take1 piece. (The number of pieces we each take are the numerators).

So, how many pieces that are left now is 6/8 – 1/8 = 5/8.  

I hope that makes sense and I’m not just waffling...

A definition of a common denominator

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Dawn Strachan

For the past 20+ years I have been a firm believer that learning should be an enjoyable experience. I appreciate that traditionally education has revolved around worksheets, textbooks, listening to teachers. But a grounding in early years and working with children who had a variety of learning styles from I learned that it is an individual activity that is personal to all of us. We don’t all learn in the same way. Our influences, our experiences, our capabilities all influence how we retain information. But through it all, I believe that if we can make it enjoyable and engaging, they will want to participate. With participation comes practice which in turn boosts skill and confidence. With an increase in skill and confidence comes a willingness to have a go. This in turn leads to more practice which leads to a positive spiral of success. The moral, we need to make learning fun, engaging, use a range of techniques.

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