Reducing Fractions or Simplifying Fractions

Summary
This lesson explains how to reduce or simplify fractions.

Objectives
• To be able to reduce/simplify fractions.

Suggested Grades
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade

Excerpt
Reducing (or simplifying) fractions simply means reducing a fraction to the lowest possible terms. You do this by finding an equivalent fraction in which the numerator and the denominator are as small as possible. In other words, when a number is reduced, there should be no number (except the number 1) that can be divided evenly into both the numerator and the denominator. Remember, when discussing fractions, the numerator is the top number. The denominator is the bottom number.

In order to reduce a fraction to its lowest terms, you should divide the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common factor.

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