Education > Complete treatise on practical arithmetic and book-keeping

£5
REDUCTION OF VULGAR FRACTIONS.
tion t%, i* «qua! to the proposed oae f: For the numerator and d< <
•nominator of the produced fraction, are in the same proportion as th '
numerator and denominator of the proposed one. Also, if the numt fci
rator 8, and the denominator 12, pf the second fraction, be each divid ;■
ed by the same number 4, the fractions ^ and ^L, are equal for th 1
same reason. !
By this useful note, several fractions of difFerent denominators may b I
readily reduced to a common denominator. Thus ij- may be reduce*
to the. same denominator as by multiplying its terms by 3, by whic! i
it becomes Also -§, -5, and may be reduced to a common de
nominator, by multiplying the terms of the first fraction by 6, of th*
second by 3, and dividing those of the last by 5.
REDUCTION OF VULGAR FRACTIONS.
I. To abbreviate or reducefractions to less terms.
__ Rule I.
.DlVIDE the terms of the given fraction by any numbei
-which will divide them without a remainder, so shall thfl
quotients be the terms of a new fraction, equal in value te
the former; and this you may abbreviate again, and the nexl
again, and so on, till it appear that there is no number great,
er than 1 that will divide them, in which case the traction
is said to be in its least terms.
Examples.
Let 44 be proposed to be abbreviated.
JL by dividing first by 2 and then by 3.
72 36 12 3 s 1 '
Reduce 44- to its least terms.
Reduce to its least terms.
Reduce flf to its least terms.
Note 1. Any number ending
with an even number, or a cipher,
may be divided by 2.
Examples.
m__ 8__ _4__ J2_
12 6 3
32 _
56""
120_
236“
Note 2. Any number ending
with .S or 0, is divisible by 5. a
Examples.
35__7_
40— a
75 _
100