Math Basics

Fractions

How do you find an equivalent fraction?

An equivalent fraction—also called a “building fraction”—is the reverse of reducing the fraction: Instead of searching for the 1 in the fractional mix that you can reduce, you insert a 1 and build the fractions. For example, find the equivalent fraction for 1/4, using the number 3, multiply the numerator and denominator by 3 (3/3 = 1); 1/4 × 3/3 = 1 × 3/ 4 × 3 = 3/12; therefore the equivalent fraction in this case is 1/4 = 3/12 (the equal sign is used to represent equivalent fractions).



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