Simplify 15/12
Understand the Problem
The question is asking us to simplify the fraction 15/12 to its lowest terms by finding the greatest common divisor of the numerator and denominator and dividing both by it.
Answer
5/4
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is 5/4
Steps to Solve
-
Identify the Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) of 15 and 12.
To simplify the fraction, we need to find the GCD of 15 and 12. The factors of 15 are 1, 3, 5, 15. The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12. The common factors are 1 and 3, so the GCD is 3.
- Divide both the numerator and the denominator by their GCD.
Divide both the numerator (15) and the denominator (12) by their GCD (3). \
$$ \frac{15}{3} = 5 $$ $$ \frac{12}{3} = 4 $$
- Write the simplified fraction.
The simplified form of the fraction is:
$$ \frac{5}{4} $$
The final answer is 5/4
More Information
Fraction simplification is useful for making fractions easier to understand and work with in various mathematical problems.
Tips
A common mistake is dividing by an incorrect number. Always ensure to identify the greatest common divisor correctly.