Can two fifthteenths be reduced

Answer 1

No, 2/15 is in simplest form.

The way to check is to break each number apart into it's factors

2 = prime, so it's factors are 2 and 1

15 = 5 * 3

So, we have (2*1)/(5*3) Notice how no number on the top appears on the bottom, and vice-versa. This shows that the fraction cannot be reduced. If we had a similar number on top and bottom we could cancel those numbers and reduce the fraction. For instance:

12/30

12 = 6*2 = 3*3*2

30 = 10*3 = 5*3*2

So we have (3*3*2)/(5*3*2) We can cancel a 3 and a 2 since they appear both on the top and the bottom. Thus:

(3*3*2)/(5*3*2)

So, the left overs are:

3/5