A quick recap, then the next step
You already know the rules β this year you handle harder fractions.
In Grade 7 you met algebraic fractions β fractions with letters in the numerator or denominator. You simplified them by cancelling common factors, and combined simple ones with the four operations.
This year you go deeper. The fractions are a little harder: their tops and bottoms may need factorising before you can cancel, and their denominators may be brackets like .
Here is the reassuring part, just as before: every rule still works. Simplifying, multiplying, dividing, adding and subtracting all behave exactly as they do for number fractions. The letters simply come along for the ride.
Keep your Grade 7 toolkit close β the golden rule of cancelling and the common-denominator method are still at the heart of everything.
- An algebraic fraction has letters in its top or bottom.
- This year tops and bottoms may need factorising first.
- Denominators may be brackets like .
- Every rule for number fractions still applies.