2640 over 25740 lowest terms ? :)

2640 over 25740 in lowest terms?

can you please explain easiest way it's done too :) thank you

To change a fraction to it's lowest terms, you might first determine the largest number that will divide evenly into the numerator and denominator (this is called the "Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) or Greatest Common Factor (GCF)").

I suggest you first Factor the numerator and denominator, and ...

2640 / 25740

becomes ...

2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 3 * 5 * 11
/
2 * 2 * 3 * 3 * 5 * 11 * 13

Now we see that the numerator and denominator have the following in common

2 * 2 * 3 * 5 * 11

which equals

660

and THIS is the GCD.

So we divide the numerator and denominator by 660 and we get the ANSWER...

4 / 39

The trick with these is to look for a number that is a common factor to both numbers in the fraction. The first number that jumps out is 10, because both numbers end in 0. So dividing both numbers by ten yields: 264/2574. Next, one might notice that both numbers are even. Thus, both numbers can be divided by 2, yielding: 132/1287. The next divisor is not so easy. To see if a number is divisible by 3, the rule is as follows: if the digits of the number add up to a number that is divisible by 3, than the number itself is divisible by 3. So in this case, 1+3+2=6, which is divisible by 3 (6/3=2). Likewise, 1+2+8+7=18, which is divisible by three (18/3=6). Therefore, both numbers are divisible by 3, implying that the fraction can be reduced to 44/429. Next, notice that both numbers are divisible by 11. This makes the fraction: 4/39. This is the fraction in its lowest terms, since there is no lower common factor to both numbers.

2640/25740
4/39

http://www.mathsisfun.com/simplifying-fr…

2640/25740
divide by 10
=264/2574
divide by 6
=44/429
divide by 11
=4/39