What is the fraction equivalent of the number 18?

To find the fraction equivalent of the number 18, we need to express the number as a ratio of two integers, where the numerator is the number itself and the denominator is 1. This is because any whole number can be considered a fraction with a denominator of 1.

Here is the step-by-step solution to express the number 18 as a fraction:

Step 1: Identify the whole number you want to convert into a fraction.
In this case, the whole number is 18.

Step 2: Write the whole number as the numerator of a fraction.
The numerator is the top part of a fraction, so we place the number 18 on top.

Step 3: Since any whole number can be expressed as a fraction with a denominator of 1, write 1 as the denominator.
The denominator is the bottom part of a fraction, and it represents the number of equal parts the whole is divided into. For whole numbers, this is always 1 because the number is not actually being divided into smaller parts.

Step 4: Combine the numerator and denominator to form the fraction.
The fraction equivalent of the number 18 is therefore:

$$
\frac{18}{1}
$$

This fraction represents the same value as the whole number 18. It is important to note that the fraction $\frac{18}{1}$ is an improper fraction because the numerator is larger than the denominator. However, in this case, it simply represents the whole number 18.