How to simplify fractions

A one-minute video showing how to simplify fractions.

Simplify fractions

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Click to see a step-by-step slideshow.
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WHAT YOU NEED: ruler, whiteboard, black pen, coloured pens.
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STEP 1: Write the question and circle the key information. Draw a bar and split it into 12 equal segments: the denominator of the fraction. Label the end '/12'. Shade in 9 segments and label the end of these '9': the numerator of the fraction.
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STEP 2: Time to simplify the fraction. Look for a number that goes into both the numerator and the denominator. Start with 2. See if you can split the 9 shaded segments of the bar into 2s. This won’t work because 9 doesn’t divide by 2 exactly...
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...so next try more numbers: 3, 5, 7 and so on. Here 3 works because 9 divides by 3, and 12 also divides by 3 exactly. You have found a common factor!
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STEP 3: Draw a bar directly below the top bar. Use the ruler to split the bar into one segment for each 3 on the top bar, and shade in the segments below the shaded segments on the top bar. You can see visually that the fraction is the same.
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STEP 4: Label the bottom bar with the total and shaded number of segments, here '3' and '/4'.
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When you write out the fractions shown on each bar you can see that 9/12 = 3/4. You have simplified 9/12 to 3/4! Can you simplify this fraction even more? If not, congratulations, you have found the simplest form of the fraction!

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