Comparing fractions is important because it shows you how much of the whole is being represented within each fraction.

Imagine you were sharing a cake. You wouldn’t want someone to get a much bigger piece than you! When cutting cakes, you visually compare fractions to make sure everyone gets an equal slice.

The two types of fractions we are going to look at comparing are unit fractions and fractions with the same denominator.

Comparing unit fractions

A unit fraction is a fraction where the numerator is 1 (the denominator can be any other whole number). For example ¼:

Since the numerator (top number) never changes with a unit fraction, you have to look at the denominator (bottom number) to compare two fractions.

The bigger the denominator, the smaller the fraction!

This is because if the denominator is higher, the whole has been split up into more parts.

Visit the BBC Bitesize page to see the examples, videos and worksheets for comparing fractions.