What operation is used to change a fraction in simplest form to an equivalent fraction?
What operation is used to change a fraction to simplest form?
1. Multiply numerator and denominator by a whole number.
2. Find a common factor for both numerator and denominator and divide both by that number.
12/6 = 2(6)/1(6) = 2/1 = 2
To change a fraction in simplest form to an equivalent fraction, the operation used is simplification. Simplification involves finding the greatest common divisor (GCD) of the numerator and denominator of the fraction and dividing both the numerator and denominator by the GCD.
Here's how you can perform simplification to change a fraction to simplest form:
1. Find the GCD of the numerator and denominator. The GCD is the largest number that divides both the numerator and the denominator without a remainder.
2. Divide both the numerator and denominator by the GCD. This will result in an equivalent fraction that is simplified and in simplest form.
For example, let's simplify the fraction 24/36:
1. Find the GCD of 24 and 36. The factors of 24 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24. The factors of 36 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 36. The largest common factor between 24 and 36 is 12, which is the GCD.
2. Divide both the numerator and denominator by 12:
24 ÷ 12 = 2
36 ÷ 12 = 3
Therefore, the simplified form of 24/36 is 2/3.
In summary, the operation used to change a fraction in simplest form to an equivalent fraction is simplification, which involves finding the GCD and dividing both the numerator and denominator by the GCD.