What is the simplest form of 4/6?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the simplest form of the fraction 4/6, which involves finding the greatest common divisor of the numerator and denominator and dividing both by that number.
Answer
The simplest form of \( \frac{4}{6} \) is \( \frac{2}{3} \).
Answer for screen readers
The simplest form of the fraction ( \frac{4}{6} ) is ( \frac{2}{3} ).
Steps to Solve
- Identify the numerator and denominator
The given fraction is ( \frac{4}{6} ). Here, the numerator is 4 and the denominator is 6.
- Find the greatest common divisor (GCD)
To simplify the fraction, we need to find the GCD of 4 and 6. The factors of 4 are 1, 2, and 4, while the factors of 6 are 1, 2, 3, and 6. The greatest factor they have in common is 2.
- Divide both the numerator and the denominator by the GCD
Now, we divide both the numerator and the denominator by their GCD (which is 2):
$$ \text{Numerator: } 4 \div 2 = 2 $$
$$ \text{Denominator: } 6 \div 2 = 3 $$
- Write the simplified fraction
The simplified fraction is then ( \frac{2}{3} ).
The simplest form of the fraction ( \frac{4}{6} ) is ( \frac{2}{3} ).
More Information
The process of simplifying fractions helps in reducing the size of the numbers involved, making calculations easier. The concept of greatest common divisor (GCD) is fundamental in number theory and is frequently used in simplifying fractions.
Tips
- Not finding the GCD: Some may skip finding the GCD and instead just reduce the fraction by looking at the numbers, which could lead to an incorrect simplification.
- Dividing by the wrong number: Incorrectly choosing a divisor that is not the GCD can result in an improperly reduced fraction.
