Reduce the following fraction to simplest form.(a) 48/ 60 (b) 12 /52
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Here are the simplified forms of the given fractions:
(a)4860=45\frac{48}{60} = \frac{4}{5}6048=54
(b)1252=313\frac{12}{52} = \frac{3}{13}5212=133
Explanation:
Reducing a fraction to its simplest form involves expressing the fraction in the lowest terms by dividing both the numerator (top number) and the denominator (bottom number) by their greatest common divisor (GCD). The GCD is the largest number that divides both the numerator and the denominator evenly.
Part (a): 4860\frac{48}{60}6048
- First, list the factors of both numbers:
- Factors of 48: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 48
- Factors of 60: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, 60
- Identify the greatest common factor:
- The greatest number in both lists is 12.
- Divide both numerator and denominator by 12: 48÷1260÷12=45\frac{48 \div 12}{60 \div 12} = \frac{4}{5}60÷1248÷12=54
- Therefore, 4860\frac{48}{60}6048 simplifies to 45\frac{4}{5}54.
Part (b): 1252\frac{12}{52}5212
- List the factors of both numbers:
- Factors of 12: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
- Factors of 52: 1, 2, 4, 13, 26, 52
- Identify the greatest common factor:
- The common factors are 1, 2, 4. The greatest is 4.
- Divide both numerator and denominator by 4: 12÷452÷4=313\frac{12 \div 4}{52 \div 4} = \frac{3}{13}52÷412÷4=133
- Therefore, 1252\frac{12}{52}5212 simplifies to 313\frac{3}{13}133.
Reducing fractions helps make them easier to understand, compare, and use in calculations. The simplified form of a fraction represents the same quantity using the smallest possible whole numbers. A fraction is in its simplest form when no number other than 1 divides both the numerator and the denominator evenly.
