What Fractions Are Less Than One Half?

Examples of fractions less than one-half include, one-fourth, one-third, one-fifth and three-eighths. Any fraction that represents less than half of a whole is considered less than one-half.

A fraction is not a whole number, but instead it is a representation of a whole. For example, if there is a single pie, then the individual slices would be a fraction of the pie itself. In the instance of the pie having six slices, then every single slice would represent one-sixth of the whole pie. One-half is a very special fraction as it represents half of a whole. For example, one-half of a pie with six slices would be three slices or three-sixths.

There are several ways to determine if a fraction is less than one-half. One of the simplest methods is to observe the numerator and denominator of the numbers. The numerator of one-half, one, is exactly half of the denominator, two. The same stands for three-sixths.

This means that if the numerator is less than half of the denominator, or in other words, less than half of a whole, the fraction is less than one-half. For example, take three-sixths and reduce the three to two. This makes the fraction two-sixths, which is less than half of a whole.

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