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Numerator

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Numerator Meaning

About the numerator definition, it is the "top part of a fraction. Here's the simple numerator definition math you're probably looking for: The numerator is the top part of the fraction, while a denominator is the bottom part of a fraction. For example, in the fraction 5/7, the number 5 is the numerator (top) and 7 is the denominator (bottom). Moreover, note that a fraction represents a part of a whole. That being said, a numerator represents the number of parts of that whole being considered, while the denominator exhibits the total number of parts created from the whole.


Numerator and Denominator in Division

In the fraction 5/7, the whole value (say, a pizza slice) has been divided into 7 equal parts. If someone has 5/7 of the pizza, they have five of those seven equal parts.


Numerator and Denominator Definition

Let’s make you understand the numerator and denominator meaning.

The numerator represents how many divisions are being selected out of the total number of equal parts. On the other hand, the denominator represents the number of equal parts in which the whole thing has to be divided.

This would be better explained using an example.

7/9 is a fraction in which the denominator 9 represents that 9 equal divisions have to be made in a circle.

7 parts selected out of 9 equal parts created out from 1 circle can be represented as 7/9.

Diagrammatic representation of this circle is as follows:

The numerator and denominator diagram clearly show seven equal parts taken out when the whole circle is divided into nine equal parts.


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Definition Whole Number

The complete set of natural numbers in addition to ‘0’ are called whole numbers. That said, the whole numbers are the part of the number system in which it takes into account all the positive integers from zero (0) to infinity. Since these numbers take place in the number line. Thus, they are all known as real numbers. With this, we can also conclude that all the whole numbers are real numbers, but not all the real numbers are whole numbers.

The examples include: 0, 11, 25, 36, 999, 1200, etc. The whole numbers are the numbers without fractions and it is an assemblage of positive integers and zero. It is denoted by a symbol “W” and the set of numbers are {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,....}. Zero as a whole denotes nothing or a null value.


Properties of Whole Numbers

Following are the properties of whole numbers:

  • Whole numbers are closed under operations of addition and multiplication

  • The multiplication and addition of whole numbers is associative

  • The multiplication and addition of whole numbers is commutative

  • It abides by the distributive property of multiplication over addition

  • The additive identity of whole numbers is equivalent to 0

  • The multiplicative identity of whole numbers is equivalent to 1

Solved Examples on Numerator

Now that you are well aware of what a numerator is and what is a numerator and denominator definition, let’s do some practice examples.

Question: Is 15/9 a Fraction?

Solution: Yes, it is. It is known as an improper fraction.

Question: Convert 150.1400 into a Fraction.

Solution: Here, we will use the concept of how to convert decimals into fractions

150.1400

= 150.1400/10000

= 15014/100

Fun Facts

  • The term “numerator” is derived from the Latin word numerātor that indicates counter.

  • If the numerator is 0, then the whole of the fraction becomes zero, irrespective of what the denominator is! For example, 0 ⁄ 50 is 0; 0 ⁄ 4 is 0, and so on.

  • If the numerator is the same as the denominator of a fraction, then the value of the fraction becomes 1. For example, if the fraction is 70 ⁄ 70, then its value will be 1.

  • A major misconception about numerators is that it is always smaller than the denominator.

  • The numerator is not necessarily smaller than the denominator. For example, 38 / 26 is a fraction, wherein 38 is the numerator, and is greater than the denominator.

  • Fractions with greater numerator value are referred to as improper fractions and are always greater than 1.

FAQs on Numerator

1. What is the Difference Between a Numerator and a Denominator?

Answer: In a fraction, the top number is what we call the numerator while the bottom number is what we call the denominator. For example, 9/11 is a fraction. Here, 9 is the numerator whereas 11 is the denominator. In the same manner, the numerator describes the number of parts we have and the bottom number describes the total number of equal parts the object is divided into.

2. What are Fractions?

Answer: In Mathematics, a fraction represents a numerical value that defines the parts of a whole. The whole can be a number or any particular value or an object. In other words, it is also referred to as a section or portion of any quantity. It is represented by using the ‘/’ symbol, such as a/b. This is to say, if a number has to be divided into five parts, then it is denoted as x/5. Thus, the fraction here, x/5, describes 1/5th of number x.

For example, 6/9 is a fraction where the upper part represents the numerator while the lower part is the denominator.

A fraction is a term that has long ago originated from Latin. In Latin, “Fractus” indicates “broken”. In real life, when we cut an apple pie from the whole of it, say 2/5th of it, then the portion is the fraction of the pie.

3. How Many Types of Fractions are there?

Answer: Depending upon the properties of numerator and denominator, fractions are classified into different types. They are:

  • Proper fractions

  • Improper fractions

  • Like fractions

  • Unlike fractions

  • Mixed fractions

  • Equivalent fractions

Remember that a numerator greater than the denominator makes for an improper fraction.