Which describes a proper fraction?

Which describes a proper fraction?

• A. Numerator is less than denominator
• B. Fraction is improper
• C. The fraction is always reducible to 0
• D. The denominator is always prime

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that a proper fraction is a part of a whole that is smaller than the whole itself. When you have a fraction a/b with b > 0, if the numerator a is less than the denominator b, the fraction’s value is between 0 and 1. That’s why fractions like 3/7 or 1/2 are proper—they represent less than one whole. This is exactly what the statement describes: the numerator is less than the denominator. The other ideas don’t define a proper fraction: being improper means the opposite, the denominator being prime isn’t required (proper fractions can have composite denominators, like 4/9), and it doesn’t always reduce to 0 unless the numerator is actually 0.

The main idea is that a proper fraction is a part of a whole that is smaller than the whole itself. When you have a fraction a/b with b > 0, if the numerator a is less than the denominator b, the fraction’s value is between 0 and 1. That’s why fractions like 3/7 or 1/2 are proper—they represent less than one whole.

This is exactly what the statement describes: the numerator is less than the denominator. The other ideas don’t define a proper fraction: being improper means the opposite, the denominator being prime isn’t required (proper fractions can have composite denominators, like 4/9), and it doesn’t always reduce to 0 unless the numerator is actually 0.