fivesixths

Five-sixths, also written as 5/6, is a fraction in mathematics. It represents five parts of a whole that is divided into six equal parts. It is a proper fraction, since the numerator (5) is less than the denominator (6). The term is typically read as "five-sixths" or "five sixths," and the notation 5/6 is the standard written form.

Five-sixths is in simplest terms because 5 and 6 have no common divisors greater than 1. Equivalent fractions include 10/12, 15/18, and any fraction obtained by multiplying numerator and denominator by the same nonzero integer. Its decimal expansion is 0.8333..., with the digit 3 repeating. As a complement to the unit, five-sixths equals 1 minus one-sixth. In percentage terms, it is about 83.333 percent.

In arithmetic, five-sixths can be added to another fraction with the same denominator, or multiplied by a fraction: for example, 5/6 + 1/6 = 1, and (5/6) × (3/4) = 15/24 = 5/8. It is also used in proportions and measurements, such as recipes or distribution questions, where a quantity is divided into six equal parts and five are taken.

In mathematics education, five-sixths serves as a common example of a proper fraction, a rational number with a simple relation to 1, and a gateway to operations with fractions and fractions of a whole.