Fractional

Fractional, in its essence, describes something that involves or consists of fractions, implying a part of a whole, rather than the complete entity. It often signifies a division, an incomplete state, or a relationship to a proportion or percentage. It can also describe a numerical value less than one or something divided into parts. Beyond the strictly mathematical context, 'fractional' extends to mean partial, incomplete, or fragmented in a broader sense, encompassing areas like ownership, time, and even emotional states. This concept highlights the existence of individual components and the lack of wholeness in the considered subject.

Fractional meaning with examples

• The real estate deal granted each sibling fractional ownership of the vacation home, creating a system for sharing costs and usage. This approach allowed them to afford a property that might have been unattainable individually, ensuring accessibility through shared responsibility. It helped them enjoy the home while preventing any single one of them from shouldering the complete burden.
• After careful analysis, the scientist used fractional distillation to separate crude oil into more useful components. This process allowed for specific components to be extracted separately from the crude oil to be used as fuels or raw materials for petrochemical products. It exemplifies the application of fractions in the realm of science to extract more value.
• The company implemented fractional reserve banking, meaning that it was legally allowed to lend out more money than it actually had on hand as cash reserves. This system enables banks to create more credit than it holds, which is useful for lending money to clients in the marketplace, boosting the economy in effect.
• During the market crash, many investors held fractional shares, diversifying holdings by owning slices of larger companies instead of an outright full share. This meant that they experienced the gains and losses proportionally to the number of shares held in the market. This helped them manage the exposure to risk.