How do you make a fraction into a mixed number?

Answer 1

An improper fraction, one where the numerator is larger than the denominator, is usually not left in that form as an answer to a problem. It is customary to convert improper fractions to mixed numbers, which have a whole number part and a fractional part. The fractional part is typically reduced to lowest terms. Here's an example:

20/6 is an improper fraction. It is a number greater than one, since the numerator is greater than the denominator. So we will convert it to a mixed number. The fraction line is also read as a division line, so the improper fraction means "20 divided by 6." 6 divides into 20 three times with a remainder of 2. So we use 3 as the whole number part of our mixed number. The fractional part of our mixed number is calculated this way: the remainder of 2 is the numerator of our fraction and 6 becomes the denominator of our fraction, just like it was in the original expression. So now we have converted 20/6 to 3 2/6. But we are not finished yet. 2/6 can be reduced to 1/3, since both the numerator and the denominator are divisible by 2. So our final answer is 3 1/3.