How can you tell if one fraction is than another?

Question

How can you tell if one fraction is < or > than another?

anonymous · Answer

depends on the fraction, i guess. give me an example, and then i'll be able to explain better.

anonymous · Answer

There are a few ways. One of them is just to "know" through your mathematical abilities. Another is to find a common denominator (lowest common multiple of the denominators), and then whichever numerator is bigger is the bigger fraction - 1/3 and 4/5 -> 5/15 and 12/15, 12 > 5 thus 4/5 > 1/3. Another is to evaluate the fraction - so 1/4 = 0.25, 4/9 = 0.444..., thus 4/9 > 1/4. Another way is to deduct the fraction from 1 and see which is bigger. I don't think there's a "standard" way of doing it, it depends on what you find easier. With practice it becomes obvious though - after doing maths through high-school and engineering at university, I don't even think about fractions, it's just instantly obvious which is bigger out of two.