Fractions are a way to represent parts of a whole. A fraction consists of a numerator and a denominator. The numerator is the top number, indicating how many parts are being considered, while the denominator is the bottom number, showing the total number of equal parts in the whole. For example, in the fraction 3/4, 3 is the numerator, and 4 is the denominator, meaning three out of four equal parts. Fractions can be proper (numerator is less than the denominator), improper (numerator is greater than or equal to the denominator), or mixed numbers (a whole number combined with a fraction).