Numerator

The numerator is the top number of a fraction .

$\begin{array}{ccc}\boxed{3}& \to & \text{numerator}\\ \bar{\boxed{7}}& \to & \text{denominator}\end{array}$

Since fractions are just shorthand for division, the numerator is the number that gets divided by the denominator. In a division problem, it is called the dividend .