One of the challenges in learning fractions is understanding how and why a fraction can have multiple interpretations. As presented in one textbook, a fraction is “a symbol, such as 2/3, 5/1, or 8/5, used to name a part of a whole, a part of a set, a location on a number line, or a division of whole numbers” (Charles et al. 2012, p. 475). How can a fraction take so many forms? In particular, why is a fraction also a division of whole numbers (e.g., 13/7 = 13 ÷ 7)?
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