How to Reduce Fractions

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: List the factors of the numerator and denominator.

   Factors are numbers that you multiply together to get another number.
   
   For example, 3 and 4 are both factors of 12, because you can multiply them together to get
   12.
   
   To list the factors of a number, you simply have to list all of the numbers that can be multiplied to get that number, and which therefore can be evenly divided into that number.
   
   List the factors of that number from smallest to largest, not forgetting to include 1 or that number.
   
   For example, this is how you would list the factors of the numerator and denominator of the fraction, 24/32: 24: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12,
   24. 32: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16,
   32.
2. 2

   Step 2: Find the greatest common factor (GCF) of the numerator and denominator.

   The GCF is the highest number that divides evenly into two or more numbers.
   
   Once you've listed all of the factors of that number, all you have to do is find the largest number that is repeated in both lists. 24: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12,
   24. 32: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16,
   32.
   
   The GCF of 24 and 32 is 8, because 8 is the largest number that evenly divides into both 24 and
   32. , Now that you've found your GCF, all you have to do is to divide the numerator and denominator by that number to reduce your fraction to its lowest terms.
   
   Here's how to do it: 24/8 = 3 32/8 = 4 The simplified fraction is 3/4. , If you'd like to make sure that you've simplified the fraction correctly, you can simply multiply the new numerator and new denominator by the GCF to make sure that you can return to the original fraction.
   
   Here's how to do it: 3 * 8 = 24 4 * 8 = 32 You have returned to the original fraction, 24/32.
   
   You can also examine the fraction to make sure that it cannot be reduced any more.
   
   Since 3 is a prime number, it can only be divisible by 1 and itself, and four is not divisible by 3, so the fraction cannot be reduced further.
3. 3

   Step 3: Divide the numerator and denominator by the GCF.

4. 4

   Step 4: Check your work.

Detailed Guide

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