In: Math
How do you simplify ratios?
sample problem: Simplify 70:56
In this method, we will divide both sides of the ratio by each factor we find in turn.
Given 70:56 , first note that both sides are even (since they end with even digits), so divide both sides by 2 to get:
35:28
Trying each prime number in turn, the next number which both sides are divisible by is 7 , so divide both sides by 7 to get:
5:4
5 and 4 have no common factor, so we can stop.
Method 1: Divide both sides by each common factor you find in turn.
Method 2: Find the greatest common factor of the two numbers and divide both sides by it.