Simplifying a Fraction: 56/84
Fractions can be simplified by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor (GCD). In this case, we want to simplify the fraction 56/84.
Finding the GCD of 56 and 84
To find the GCD of 56 and 84, we can list the factors of each number:
Factors of 56:
- 1
- 2
- 4
- 7
- 8
- 14
- 28
- 56
Factors of 84:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 6
- 7
- 12
- 14
- 21
- 28
- 42
- 84
The greatest common divisor of 56 and 84 is 14.
Simplifying the Fraction
Now that we have found the GCD, we can simplify the fraction by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by 14:
56 ÷ 14 = 4 84 ÷ 14 = 6
So, the simplified fraction is:
4/6
This fraction can be simplified further by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by their GCD, which is 2:
4 ÷ 2 = 2 6 ÷ 2 = 3
The final simplified fraction is:
2/3
Therefore, the simplest form of the fraction 56/84 is 2/3.
