Numerator

How it is used

Used whenever fractions are simplified, added or compared. Teachers say 'the top' informally, but 'numerator' is expected in written answers. To get an equivalent fraction you multiply the numerator and the denominator by the same number.

Example sentences

1. If the numerator is larger than the denominator, the fraction is greater than one.

2. Factorise the numerator first and see what cancels.

Common collocations

• numerator and denominator
• factorise the numerator
• the numerator of the fraction

Related terms

• denominatorThe number below the line in a fraction, which shows how many equal parts the whole is divided into; in 3/8, the denominator is 8.
• fractionA number that shows part of a whole, written as one number over another, such as ¾, where 3 is the numerator and 4 is the denominator.
• simplifyTo write a fraction or expression in its shortest and clearest form without changing its value, for example writing 6/8 as 3/4.
• cancel outTo remove each other because their combined effect is zero, as when +3x and −3x are added, or when the same factor is above and below a fraction line.

More terms: Numbers and Operations

• sum
• difference
• product
• quotient
• integer
• prime number
• multiply
• divide
• percentage
• negative number
• square root
• exponent