LESSON 5 Fractions on Number Lines

Below is a rectangle divided into six equal parts. Each part is of the rectangle.There is also a number line from 0 to 1. It is divided into 6 equal parts. It has at the point that is one-sixth of the distance from 0 to 1. It has at the point that is of the distance from 0 to 1, and so on.

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1. Here are another fraction strip and number line divided into parts. What fractions should they be labeled with?

The three rectangles below represent 3 wholes. The shaded part of the rectangles represents 1 and .

The number line goes from 0 to 3.

This size rectangle is one whole:

The line segment from 0 to 1 is the unit whole:

The point shown on the number line above is 1 units to the right of zero. We can also say that the point is at .

1 is called a mixed number. Mixed numbers are made up of a whole number and a fraction. is called an improper fraction. A fraction is called improper when the numerator is greater than or equal to the denominator.

1. Use the number line to count by fifths to 3 using mixed numbers.
2. Use the number line to count by fifths to 3 using improper fractions.