What are Equivalent Fractions?

Fractions are considered to be one of the most important concepts in Mathematics. It is introduced at an early stage to the students, and it has a lot of real-life applications. The word ‘fraction’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘fractus,’ which means “broken. Fraction has been in existence from the Egyptian era, which is known to be one of the oldest civilizations in the world. However, fractions were not regarded as numbers; in fact, they were used to compare the whole numbers with one another. Egyptians invented fractions as early as 1800 BC. They used fractions for holding the records of the land. In Mathematics, we study different types of fractions. However, in this blog, we are going to explore equivalent fractions. It is one of the simplest types of fractions and the sums related to equivalent fractions are easy to solve.

A fraction has two basic parts, the numerator, and the denominator. Based on the characteristics of numerator and denominator, we can characterize fractions into various types like t like & unlike fractions and equivalent fractions. Let us now directly dive into the topic and understand what an equivalent fraction is:

What are Equivalent Fractions?

Equivalent fractions are the fractions that have different values for the numerator and denominator, but their actual value is the same. For example, the fractions ½ and 2/4 are two different fractions, but the value of both these fractions is the same. While multiplying fractions, when we multiply the numerator and denominator of a base fraction with a common term, we get an equivalent fraction. Equivalent fractions can further be multiplied with similar terms in order to get more such fractions, but the actual value of these fractions remains the same, i.e., when we simplify these fractions, we get the same value.

However, in the simplification process, instead of multiplying fractions, we divide these fractions by the same number in order to get the simpler fraction. By continuous division by a common term, we get the original fraction. Hence a fraction is equivalent only if the numerator and denominator represent the actual fraction after simplification.

If you want to find equivalent fractions for a number, just multiply the numerator and the denominator of the fraction by the same number. This way, you can get many equivalent pairs of fractions.

The concept of equivalent fractions is quite interesting. Questions related to equivalent fractions are often asked in school as well as competitive exams. The concept is quite easier on the base level, but the questions can get a bit tricky at a later stage. Hence in order to understand the concept of equivalent fractions, Cuemath uses visual tools through which you can visualize the concept and engage with it in an interesting and fun manner.

Let us now explore some of the properties of equivalent fractions.

Properties of Equivalent Fractions

• If we divide both the numerator and the denominator of a fraction by the same number except zero, we obtain a fraction which is called the equivalent fraction.

• If there are two equivalent fractions, then the product of the numerator of one fraction and the denominator of the second one is equal to the product of the numerator of the second fraction and the denominator of the first one.

I hope you had fun exploring equivalent fractions. The equivalent fraction concept is fundamental, and most of the questions are formed based on the properties of equivalent fractions. Hence it is important to solve multiple sums related to equivalent fractions. I hope this blog helped you understand the concept of equivalent fractions. Happy Learning!