\( 1 \frac{5}{14} \) or \( \frac{10}{7} ? \)

Did you know that mixed numbers like \( 1 \frac{5}{14} \) can be converted into improper fractions? To do this, you multiply the whole number (1) by the denominator (14), add the numerator (5), resulting in \( \frac{19}{14} \). This is equivalent to \( \frac{10}{7} \) since if you simplify \( \frac{19}{14} \) to a decimal, you get approximately 1.357 which is also around \( \frac{10}{7} \)'s decimal approximation of about 1.428. When comparing fractions, a smart move is to find a common denominator. Here, the least common multiple of 14 and 7 is 14. Convert \( \frac{10}{7} \) to \( \frac{20}{14} \). Now, it’s easy to see that \( \frac{19}{14} \) is less than \( \frac{20}{14} \) and thus \( 1 \frac{5}{14} \) is less than \( \frac{10}{7} \) so you can confidently choose!