Math Homework. Do It Faster, Learn It Better.
Equivalent Fractions
Two fractions are equivalent if they represent the same value.
For example, the figure below shows that and are all equivalent fractions -- in each figure, the shaded portion represents half of the whole circle.
In general, if you multiply the numerator and denominator of a fraction by the same (nonzero) number, you get a fraction equivalent to the one you started with. This is because when you multiply by a fraction like or , you're really just multiplying by -- and multiplying by always gives you the same number you started with. (Even if it looks different.)
For example: