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What you'll learn

  • Tell proper fractions, improper fractions and mixed numbers apart
  • Why a fraction like 5/5 equals one whole and counts as improper
  • Change improper fractions into mixed numbers by dividing with a remainder
  • Change mixed numbers into improper fractions by multiplying and adding
  • Find mixed numbers and improper fractions on a number line
  • Add same-denominator fractions and write totals above 1 as mixed numbers

Chapter by chapter

  1. Spotting proper fractions, improper fractions and mixed numbers Free to try

    Year 5 maths · 1

  2. Changing improper fractions into mixed numbers

    Year 5 maths · 1

  3. Changing mixed numbers into improper fractions

    Year 5 maths · 1

  4. Placing mixed numbers and improper fractions on a number line

    Year 5 maths · 1

  5. Writing answers greater than 1 as mixed numbers

    Year 5 maths · 1

  6. Launch Challenge: mixed numbers and improper fractions (10 questions)

See every Maths chapter in the chapter library

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Year 5 maths: Recognise mixed numbers and improper fractions and convert from one form to the other and write mathematical statements > 1 as a mixed number

About this adventure

Star Fuel Station is an interactive maths game that teaches children aged 8–11 to recognise mixed numbers and improper fractions, convert between them and write answers greater than 1 as mixed numbers.

With Cosmo the alien, players fill fuel tanks split into equal cells. Seven quarter cells fill one tank and three quarters of another, so 7/4 = 1 3/4. An improper fraction has a numerator equal to or bigger than its denominator; a mixed number is a whole number plus a proper fraction. Players convert by dividing (11 ÷ 4 = 2 remainder 3, so 2 3/4) and by multiplying and adding (2 1/3 = 7/3).

Answers are typed on an on-screen fraction keypad, with hints matched to common mistakes and every line read aloud. A 10-question Launch Challenge checks everything, following the KS2 Year 5 curriculum.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a mixed number and an improper fraction?

A mixed number is a whole number with a proper fraction, like 1 3/4, while an improper fraction has a numerator equal to or bigger than its denominator, like 7/4. Both can describe exactly the same amount.

How do you change an improper fraction into a mixed number?

Divide the numerator by the denominator: the answer is the whole number and the remainder becomes the new numerator. For 11/4, 11 ÷ 4 = 2 remainder 3, so 11/4 = 2 3/4, and the denominator stays the same.

How do you turn a mixed number into an improper fraction?

Multiply the whole number by the denominator, then add the numerator and keep the same denominator. For 2 1/3, 2 × 3 = 6 thirds, plus 1 more third makes 7/3.

What age is this mixed numbers game for?

It suits children aged 8 to 11 and matches the Year 5 objective in England's national curriculum. A short optional warm-up on numerators and denominators helps younger or less confident players get started.

What does the game include and how long does it take?

It has five chapters, an optional warm-up and a 10-question Launch Challenge, taking about 40 minutes to play everything. Each chapter can be played separately, so children can return to the parts they find tricky.

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