How to Find a Fraction on a Number line

A number line and a ruler are very much alike

On a ruler, each inch is considered one whole inch One Inch Two Inches Three Inches Nine whole inches

The marks in between the whole inches are fractions of an inch ½ Inch 2 ¾ Inches7 ¼ inches

Number lines are read the same way. The numbers are read as whole numbers. The numbers are read as whole numbers. The marks in between are read as fractions. The marks in between are read as fractions

There are three steps to reading fractions on a number line Step One: Count the spaces in between the zero and the one on the number line. That is your denominator

Step Two: Count the tick marks, starting at the first tick mark after zero. Stop at the point you are naming. This is the numerator

There is only a step three if the fraction is past a whole number. If the fraction is past a whole number, steps one and two are the same except that you count the spaces and tick marks in between the whole numbers closest to the fraction

Mixed Numbers Step One: Count the spaces in between the whole numbers where the fraction is placed. That is your denominator

Mixed Numbers Step Two: Count the tick marks, starting at the first tick mark after the whole number. Stop at the point you are naming. This is the numerator

Mixed Numbers Step Three: Write the whole number as a whole number beside the fraction

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