You have seen fractions that are simply one whole number over another whole number. Fractions are not always that easy. Sometimes, fractions are more complex and have other fractions in them. It is important to understand how these complex fractions work in order to deal with a wide variety of situations.
A complex fraction is a fraction that is made up of other fractions. For example:
This is a complex fraction because it has a fraction as the top number (numerator) and as the bottom number (denominator) instead of whole numbers. Often, these fractions look more difficult to solve than they actually are. We know that a fraction is equal to one if the top and the bottom of the fraction are the same. For example:
The same holds true for complex fractions.
We know this because the top of the fraction is the same as the bottom of the fraction.
We can apply other rules we have learned to complex fractions as well. We know that a fraction with 1 in the bottom can be written by simply writing the top number. For example:
This is because the top number, 3, is 3 times the bottom number, 1. The same method works with complex fractions.
