What is 4/6 in the simplest form?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking to simplify the fraction 4/6 to its lowest terms. We will do this by finding the greatest common divisor (GCD) of the numerator and the denominator and dividing both by this number.
Answer
$ \frac{2}{3} $
Answer for screen readers
The simplified form of the fraction $ \frac{4}{6} $ is $ \frac{2}{3} $.
Steps to Solve
- Find the GCD of the numerator and denominator
To simplify the fraction $ \frac{4}{6} $, we first need to find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of the numerator (4) and the denominator (6).
The factors of 4 are: 1, 2, 4
The factors of 6 are: 1, 2, 3, 6
The common factors are: 1, 2
The greatest of these is 2, so the GCD is 2.
- Divide both the numerator and denominator by the GCD
Now, we will divide both the numerator and the denominator by the GCD we found.
$$ \frac{4 \div 2}{6 \div 2} = \frac{2}{3} $$
- Write the simplified fraction
After performing the division, the simplified fraction of $ \frac{4}{6} $ is $ \frac{2}{3} $.
The simplified form of the fraction $ \frac{4}{6} $ is $ \frac{2}{3} $.
More Information
Simplifying fractions is essential in mathematics as it helps to express numbers in their most reduced form, making calculations easier. The GCD is a helpful tool for this purpose as it identifies the largest number that divides both the numerator and denominator without a remainder.
Tips
- A common mistake is not finding the GCD correctly. To avoid this, list the factors of both numbers to ensure that the correct GCD is identified.
- Another mistake is forgetting to divide both the numerator and denominator by the GCD after finding it.