Comparing fraction strips
You learn that if you divide something into more pieces, each piece becomes smaller.
How to work it out
- Compare the two strips.
- With more pieces each piece is smaller.
- So 13 is bigger than 14.
1/3
1/3
1/3
1/3
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
1/4
A worked example
The whole is the same. Is 14 or 18 bigger?
- 14 means the whole is cut into 4 pieces.
- 18 means it is cut into 8 pieces.
- Fewer pieces means bigger pieces.
- 14 is bigger.
Watch out
You think 18 is bigger because 8 is a bigger number.
Look at the number of pieces, not the size of the number. More pieces means each piece is smaller.
Tips
- Compare the denominators (the numbers below the line): a bigger denominator means smaller pieces.
Why it works
The whole (pizza, bar of chocolate) stays the same size. If you divide it into 3 pieces, each piece is bigger than if you divide it into 6 pieces.