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A fraction tells you how many parts of a whole you have. Fractions are shown by having one number on top of another, for example:

There are two parts to a fraction:

• The number on top, called the numerator, shows how many parts you have (1 in this example, making it a unit fraction).
• The number on the bottom, called the denominator, shows how many parts something has been divided equally into (4 in this example).

Top tip

Remember when a whole is divided into quarters, they must be equal.

When finding a quarter of an amount, it is the same as dividing by 4.

Instead of drawing an array for larger numbers, you can use your 4 times table facts to help you instead.

Another way is to find half and then half again. A quarter is half of a half.

We need to share the 68 into 4 equal groups.

The 8 ones can be split into 4 groups easily, but the tens are more complicated.

4 tens can be split easily - one in each part. But the two remaining tens will have to become 20 ones so they can be shared equally - 5 ones in each group.

20 ÷ 4 = 5

Now you can split 68 into 4 equal parts:

You have the answer: 17.