It’s time to convert a mixed number to an improper fraction. Now your child’s teacher might be calling the improper fraction something like a top-heavy fraction, a fraction greater than one, or maybe even an okey dokey fraction, but in the old-school days we just called them improper fractions.
What is an improper fraction?
An improper fraction is a fraction that is greater than one. This means that the numerator (the top number) is bigger than the denominator (the bottom number). Imagine you have some pizza that is cut into 4 slices each. You had 2 whole pizzas but someone at half of a pizza. Now you have 1 and 1/2 of a pizza left. If we count the number of slices we have left you would have 6 slices. To represent that as a fraction we would say we have 6/4 (6 pieces that come from pizzas that were cut into 4ths).
Why would we use an improper fraction instead of a mixed number?
Both improper fractions and mixed numbers are handy to think about and use in life. When you’re baking and the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of flour it’s really great to think about 1 cup and 1/2 a cup. Now, if you didn’t want to do a lot of dishes you could think about 3/2 cups and just use the 1/2 measuring cup 3 times! Honestly, improper fractions make doing multiplication and division of fractions faster, and generally easier.
How to convert a mixed number to an improper fraction Step 1
To convert a mixed number to an improper fraction you need to figure out how many pieces make up a whole. The bottom number of the fraction (called the denominator) tells how many pieces make up 1 whole unit.
How to convert a mixed number to an improper fraction Step 2
Now that you know how many pieces make up a whole you can multiply the whole number by the number of pieces in 1 whole (the denominator). This tells us how many pieces our whole number has.
How to convert a mixed number to an improper fraction Step 3
Take the number of whole number pieces and add it to the fractional pieces (the numerator).
How to convert a mixed number to an improper fraction Step 4
Finally, write the total number of pieces in all of the whole and the fractional parts above the denominator to get our improper fraction.
But can’t I use a formula to convert a mixed number to an improper fraction?
Being able to flow between improper fractions and mixed numbers is a valuable skill that can help you understand fractions as you move through school and life. You can always follow the algorithm (multiply the whole number by the denominator, add the numerator, write the sum over the original denominator) or use a calculator, but anytime you can visualize an improper fraction and a mixed number you will be creating math pathways in your brain. Practice drawing pictures for your first problems when you’re converting a mixed number to an improper fraction, and eventually the formula will be like a habit. You won’t even have to think about it.
We Can Help You Convert Mixed Numbers to Improper Fractions
Our Monthly Math Pass is designed to help you overcome math roadblocks (like converting mixed numbers) so you and your child can feel good about math. When you hit a problem you don’t know how to do, snap a picture, send it in, and we will send a detailed video back explaining everything about the problem.
Time to do math differently!