Cut a cake into equal slices and shade some. Two parts shaded out of four is two-quarters. The bottom tells you how many parts; the top tells you how many are shaded.
To find ¼ of 12, share 12 counters into 4 equal groups — there are 3 in each. So ¼ of 12 = 3. The rule: divide by the bottom number, then take the top number of groups.
1. What is ¾ of 12? 9 — because 12 ÷ 4 = 3, then 3 × 3 = 9.
2. Word problem: You have 20 sweets. You give away half. Then you eat ¼ of all 20. How many sweets is that altogether? Half of 20 = 10 given away. ¼ of 20 = 5 eaten. 10 + 5 = 15 gone, so 5 left!
3. Equivalent: Is ½ the same as 2/4? Yes! Half a cake = two quarters of a cake. Same amount, different slices.
4. Which is more — ⅓ or ¼? ⅓ is more. A bigger bottom number means more pieces, so each piece is smaller. Cutting into 4 gives smaller bits than cutting into 3.
The bottom of a fraction says how many equal parts you split the whole into. The top says how many of those parts you have.
A fraction of an amount is just dividing: divide by the bottom, times by the top. So ¾ of 12 means 12 ÷ 4 × 3 = 9.