Reducing Numeric Fractions Turn Mystery into Mastery C2006 – DW Vandewater Click to Advance Suggestion: Work with scratch paper and pencil as you go through this presentation. Powerpoint 2007: Click on SLIDESHOW, then click on FROM BEGINNING Powerpoint 2003: Click on BROWSE, then click on FULL SCREEN

What if we could look at a simplified form of both numbers? 1. Figure out the prime factors of both. 2. Do any factors cancel out? Cancel them. 3. Write the remaining factors. 4. Multiply the tops. 5. Multiply the bottoms.  That’s the simplest form of the fraction! Click to Advance

What is the Key Skill? Prime Factorization! Prime Factorization (A big name for a simple process …) Finding out how to write a number as the product of it’s prime factors. Examples: 6 = 2∙3 70 = 2∙5∙7 24 = 2∙2∙2∙3 13=13 because 13 is prime (no other factors) Click to Advance

Practice: Let’s Reduce a Fraction Here’s the problem -> ◦ Find the prime factors of 48 ◦ Find the prime factors of 144 ◦ Rewrite the fraction w/ primes ◦ Cancel matching factors ◦ Rewrite the fraction ◦ Multiply top & bottom, if necessary That is the simplest form Click to Advance

Practice: Let’s Reduce a Bigger Fraction Here’s the problem -> ◦ Find the prime factors of 1848 ◦ Find the prime factors of 990 ◦ Rewrite the fraction ◦ Cancel matching factors ◦ Rewrite the fraction ◦ Multiply top & bottom That is the simplest form Click to Advance

More Practice See if you can find the simplest forms. Do the work on paper and click to see the answer Click to Advance

Thank You For Learning about ◦ Prime Factorization ◦ Reducing Numeric fractions