Lesson · M.2.1

Fraction concepts and reducing to lowest terms

Learn what a fraction actually represents, the vocabulary the HESI A2 expects, and how to reduce any fraction to its lowest terms using the greatest common factor.

ObjectiveM.2.1Read4 minExam weightFractions ≈ 20% of Mathematics

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What you will be able to do

Name the parts of a fraction and explain what each one represents.
Reduce a fraction to lowest terms by finding its greatest common factor.
Tell proper fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers apart on sight.

What the lesson concludes

A fraction is a part-to-whole relationship: the numerator counts the parts, the denominator names the size of the whole.
A fraction is fully reduced only when no number besides one divides evenly into both numerator and denominator.
Finding the greatest common factor, not just any common factor, gets you to lowest terms in one step.
An improper fraction and its equivalent mixed number are the same amount, just written two different ways.