How can the GCF be used to write a fraction?

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lodosr · Accepted Answer

Step 1The GCF (greatest common factor) can be used to express a fraction in simplest terms:Find the GCF of the numerator and denominator.Divide both the numerator and denominator by the GCF.For example, to express             70      42       in lowest terms, first find the GCF of 70 and 42.My favourite method to find the GCF of two numbers goes as follows:Divide the larger number by the smaller to get a quotient and remainder.If the remainder is zero, then the smaller number is the GCF.Otherwise, repeat with the smaller number and the remainder.So in my example:            70      42        =    1   with remainder 28            42      28        =    1   with remainder 14            28      14        =    2   with remainder 0So the GCF of 70 and 42 is 14.Having found the GCF, we can now write:            70      42        =                            (                      70            14                    )                                      (                      42            14                    )                      =          5      3      Alternatively, we can express the division implicitly:            70      42        =                  5        ×                                                                                                  14                                                                                                  3        ×                                                                                                  14                                                                                            =          5      3

How can the GCF be used to write a fraction?

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