Glossary
mixed number
A mixed number combines a whole number and a proper fraction, such as 1 1/2, and is converted to an improper fraction before multiplying or dividing.
A mixed number is a whole number and a proper fraction written together: 2 3/4 means two wholes plus three quarters. It is convenient to read and awkward to calculate with, which is why most work begins by converting it: multiply the whole number by the denominator, add the numerator, and put the result over the same denominator, so 2 3/4 becomes 11/4. That conversion is mandatory before multiplying or dividing, since the whole and the fraction cannot be treated separately in those operations. Adding and subtracting can keep them separate if the denominators already match. In measurement, mixed numbers arrive with household units — one and a half teaspoons, two and a quarter cups — so converting first, then converting units, keeps the arithmetic in one kind of number instead of two.
Taught in
Related terms
- numerator — The numerator is the top number of a fraction: how many of the equal parts named by the denominator are being counted.
- denominator — The denominator is the bottom number of a fraction: how many equal parts the whole is divided into, and therefore the size of each part.
- least common denominator — The least common denominator is the smallest number that both denominators divide into evenly, and it is the shared bottom number used to add or subtract fractions.
Source: The math guides in this course (ratio and proportion, measurement and conversion, dosage calculation): every definition and worked value above was written for this course, because arithmetic and unit conversion are not a publisher's prose, and each guide shows the method worked. Elsevier's own HESI A2 page, which names math among the areas the exam covers, is the exam-side source. (Elsevier HESI A2 page accessed 2026-10-23; definitions written 2026-10-27)