Mixed Number — 2 1/2 — free printable diagram

What is 2 1/2 as an improper fraction?

2 1/2 is a mixed number — 2 wholes and one half. Written as an improper fraction it is 5/2, and as a decimal it is 2.5.

Mixed number

2 1/2

Improper fraction

5/2

Whole part

2

Fraction part

1/2

As a decimal

2.5

• To turn a mixed number into an improper fraction, multiply the whole number by the denominator and add the numerator, keeping the same denominator: (2 × 2) + 1 = 5, so 2 1/2 = 5/2.
• Going the other way, divide the top by the bottom: 5 ÷ 2 = 2 remainder 1, which is 2 wholes and 1/2 left over.
• As a decimal, 2 1/2 = 2.5.
• The picture shows 2 complete shapes shaded plus one half of one more, which is what a mixed number is: a whole number and a fraction written together.