how do i express each ratio as a fraction in simplest form?

(1) Express numerator and denominator as products of prime numbers.

(2) Eliminate (cancel out) common factors of the numerator and denominator

Quite often, you can do these things "in your head".

For example,
5/15 = (5*1)/(5*3) = 1/3

Math

To express a ratio as a fraction in simplest form, follow the steps below:

1. Write down the given ratio as a ratio of two whole numbers. For example, suppose the given ratio is 3:5.

2. Convert each number in the ratio into fractions. In this example, write 3 as 3/1 and 5 as 5/1.

3. Simplify each fraction to its simplest form. To do this, find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of the numerator and denominator and divide both by this value until you cannot simplify further.

4. Write the simplified fractions as a ratio. Using the example ratio 3/1:5/1, we simplify by dividing both fractions by the GCD. Assuming the GCD is 1, the ratio becomes 3/1:5/1.

5. Finally, write the simplified ratio without the fraction notation. In this example, the simplified ratio is 3:5.

Remember that a simplified ratio does not contain any common factors between the numerator and denominator, resulting in the simplest form of the fraction.