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Fraction words

Simplest form

A fraction is in simplest form when its top and bottom numbers share no factor except 1, such as 3/4 (but not 6/8).

Simplifying 6/8 to 3/4 groups the eighths into pairs. Each pair is one fourth, so six eighths become three fourths. The parts get bigger and fewer, and the amount stays the same.

Simplifying never makes a fraction smaller. It changes the units we use to describe the amount, not the amount itself.

Six eighths and three fourths shade the same length.

See also: Equivalent fractions

Try it in a slice

Slice 12

Simplifying Doesn’t Shrink

Does simplifying a fraction make it smaller?

Why 6/8 and 3/4 are the same amount, and why simplifying a fraction never makes it smaller. · About 3 minutes

Slice 11

Different Numbers, Same Amount

Is (one half) the same as (two fourths)?

Why 1/2, 2/4 and 4/8 are exactly the same amount, even though the numbers are different. · About 3 minutes