Comparing & ordering fractions worksheets and lessons
Comparing Fractions Worksheets and Lessons
How to compare and order fractions?
All the objects around us are not alike, most of things are different than each other. We can notice the difference on basis of size, color, visibility and shape. There are many ways to tell the difference in objects around us, and one way is to relate numbers to objects.
Young kids know the whole numbers and they can order and compare these numbers easily. But when it comes to ordering fractions, most kids feel difficulty doing it.
For ordering and comparing fractions, this post contains some cool tips and tricks. Students need to know the numerator, denominator, least common denominator and equivalent fractions to compare and order fractions.
If students want to do the comparing and ordering fractions easily, then they need to know the following tips.
If fractions have the same denominators:
When you want to compare fractions, always look if they got the same denominators. If they have got the like denominators then it is very easy to compare these fractions.
To compare and order fractions with similar denominators, we compare the numerators only. Let’s do an example to make it clearer.
Order 3/6, 1/6, 5/6 and 2/6 from least to greatest.
All the given fractions have the same denominator which is 6. To compare such kind of fractions is a piece of cake. Just look at the numerators and order these fractions in the increasing order of numerators.
The required order of fractions is given below:
1/6, 2/6, 3/6, 5/6 is the answer for least to greatest.
If fractions have the different denominators:
When ordering and comparing unlike fractions, the bottom line is equivalent fraction. In other words the understanding of equivalent fractions is crucial to order or compare fractions with unlike denominators
If two or more fractions, we want to compare have the different denominators, then we need to change these fractions into equivalent fractions with the same denominators. For example; if we want to compare 3/4 and 5/7, we have to address their denominators first. In other words we have to make their denominators same.
Let’s convert 3/4 and 5/7 into two equivalent fractions with same denominators. For this look at both the denominators, which are 4 and 7. Now 28 is the least common multiple of 4 and 7. So, we have to change both the fractions with a common denominators of 28, as shown below:
(3 x 7)/(4 x 7) = 21/28
(5 x 4)/(7 x 4) = 20/28
Hence 3/4 is equivalent to 21/28 and 5/7 is an equivalent fraction to 20/28. Now, 21/28 and 20/28 are like fractions and 21/28 is larger. As 21/28 is equivalent to 3/4, hence 3/4 is greater than 5/7
So, for comparing and ordering fractions, the understanding of equivalent fractions is a valuable skill.
Kind Regards
Guru Angad Educational
