Fractions on a Line

Let's find the fraction $\frac{1}{2}$ on a number line. 1. Draw a straight line and mark 0 on the left and 1 on the right. 2. The denominator (bottom number) is 2, so we need 2 equal spaces. 3. Draw one tick mark exactly in the middle. 4. Since the numerator (top number) is 1, we take 1 jump from 0. 5. That middle mark is $\frac{1}{2}$!

Let's locate $\frac{2}{3}$ on a number line. 1. Mark 0 and 1 on your line. 2. Divide the space into 3 equal sections using two tick marks. 3. Label the first mark $\frac{1}{3}$ because it is one jump from zero. 4. Label the second mark $\frac{2}{3}$ because it is two jumps from zero. 5. The final stop at 1 is actually $\frac{3}{3}$!

Imagine a number line divided into 4 equal parts (fourths). Where would you put $\frac{1}{4}$ and $\frac{3}{4}$? 1. Divide the line between 0 and 1 into 4 equal segments. 2. The first mark after zero is $\frac{1}{4}$. It is very close to 0. 3. The third mark after zero is $\frac{3}{4}$. It is much closer to 1. 4. You can see that $\frac{3}{4}$ is a longer distance from zero than $\frac{1}{4}$!