It is important for us to remember that there are different ways to write numbers that have the same value. For example, fractions of one mean the same thing as one. Understanding different ways numbers can be written allows us to understand more equations we might come across.
Fractions of one are fractions that equal one. Fractions equal one when the top number (numerator) is the same as the bottom number (denominator). For example:
The top number of the fraction is the same as the bottom number of the fraction.
When we multiply a number by one, we get the same number we started with. In other words, if we multiply 5 by 1, we will get 5. The same holds true for fractions. If we multiply 
by 1, we end up with 
. Since fractions of one are equal to one, we know that we can multiply a number by a fraction of one and end up with the original number. We know 
is a fraction of one, since 
= 1. If we multiply 4 by 
, it is the same as if we had multiplied 4 by 1: 4 x = 4.
We can see how this works by working out the fraction multiplication. First, we must change 4 into a fraction.
Next, we multiply:
First, multiply the two top numbers to get 20. Next, multiply the two bottom numbers to get 5. The result is 
, and = 4, which is the number we started with.
