Fractions – Grade 6
Grade 6 fractions: equal parts, equivalent fractions, simplifying and adding with common denominators. Create a free worksheet or try an online test.
🎯 What you will learn
- ✓Explain numerator and denominator
- ✓Find common denominators and simplify
💡 How it works
A fraction describes parts of a whole. In 3/4, the whole has four equal parts and three are selected.
How it works
💡 Add parts of the same size. With equal denominators, add the numerators and keep the denominator.
The denominator gives the number of equal parts in a whole. The numerator counts selected parts. So 2/7 + 3/7 = 5/7: you are counting sevenths, not fourteenths.
For different denominators, first make the parts the same size. In 1/3 + 1/6, rewrite 1/3 as 2/6. To make an equivalent fraction, multiply numerator and denominator by the same number; to simplify, divide both by a common factor. The value stays the same.
🧩 See the method
✍️ Worked examples
Worked examples 1
2/7 + 3/7
- 1.Both fractions count sevenths.
- 2.Numerators: 2 + 3 = 5; denominator: 7.
- 3.5/7 is less than 1 because 5 < 7.
✓ 5/7
Worked examples 2
1/3 + 1/6
- 1.1/3 = 2/6: multiply top and bottom by 2.
- 2.2/6 + 1/6 = 3/6.
- 3.Divide both by 3: 3/6 = 1/2.
✓ 1/2
⚠️ Common mistakes
- • Adding denominators: 1/4 + 1/4 is 2/4, not 2/8.
- • Changing only the denominator. Both numbers must change together to keep the same value.
📝 Try it yourself
1.
1/8 + 3/8
Show answer
1/2
2.
5/9 − 2/9
Show answer
1/3
3.
1/4 + 1/2
Show answer
3/4
4.
2/3 − 1/6
Show answer
1/2
5.
3/5 + 4/5
Show answer
7/5
6.
6/8 = ?/4
Show answer
3
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FAQ
Can the numerator exceed the denominator?
Yes. 7/5 is one whole and 2/5. An answer need not be less than 1.
When is a fraction fully simplified?
When numerator and denominator share no factor greater than 1, as in 3/4.