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Calculators

What a mixed number is, and how to turn one into a fraction.

What a mixed number such as 2 ¾ means, how to turn it into an improper fraction and back again, and how to type one into a fraction calculator.

By 3 min read

Three quarters plus five sixths equals one and seven twelfths, with bars cut into twelfths

Two and three quarters can be written 2 ¾ or 11/4. The first is easier to picture; the second is easier to work with. Moving between them takes one sum each way.

From a mixed number to a fraction.

Multiply the whole number by the bottom and add the top: 2 ¾ is (2 × 4 + 3)/4 = 11/4. The Fraction and ratio calculator does this first whenever you type a mixed number, as 2 3/4 with a space, and shows it as a step.

From a fraction back to a mixed number.

Divide the top by the bottom: 11 ÷ 4 is 2 with 3 left over, so 11/4 is 2 ¾. Every answer bigger than one is given both ways.

Negative mixed numbers.

−2 ¾ means −(2 + ¾), which is −11/4, not −2 + ¾. Type it as −2 3/4 and it is read that way.

Further reading

Topics: mixed number · improper fraction · mixed number to improper fraction · improper fraction to mixed number · mixed fractions · fraction calculator

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