Whole number fraction calculator
The calculator above takes two numbers at a time, which is all a whole number and a fraction ever need. Multiply by the top, divide by the bottom, and read the answer.
12 × 12 = 144
Adding 12 to itself 12 times gives the same answer.
A whole number times a fraction
Multiply by the top number, then divide by the bottom one. For 6 × 3/4: enter 6 × 3 to get 18, then 18 ÷ 4 to get 4.5. The two steps work in either order.
A whole number divided by a fraction
Turn the fraction upside down and multiply. 6 ÷ 2/3 becomes 6 × 3/2, so 6 × 3 = 18, then 18 ÷ 2 = 9. The answer is bigger than the number you started with, and that is correct: dividing by something under 1 always gives more.
Writing a whole number as a fraction
Every whole number is already a fraction with 1 underneath. 7 is 7/1. To give it the denominator you need, multiply top and bottom by the same amount: 7 becomes 21/3, or 28/4.
Mixed numbers
Convert before you calculate. For 2 1/2, multiply the whole number by the bottom and add the top: 2 × 2 = 4, plus 1 is 5, so the fraction is 5/2. Then 5 ÷ 2 = 2.5, and it behaves like any other number on the screen.
When the answer looks wrong
- It came out as a decimal. 3/8 of 5 shows as 1.875, which is the same value as 1 7/8.
- The digits never stop. 0.3333… is one third. No calculator can write it exactly, so round it at the end, never in the middle.
- It grew instead of shrinking. Multiplying by a fraction under 1 makes a number smaller, dividing by one makes it larger. Use that as your check before you trust the screen.
To read a decimal back as a fraction, use the decimal calculator to fraction. For two fractions added together, see fraction adding calculator, and the rest are listed on calculators.