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maths

Colin got 16 out of 80 correct in his test.What fraction of the marks did he get correct? Give your answer in its simplest form.
Colin didn't do very well in his test.

8 is the highest common factor of 16 and 80 so divide both by 8 so you have 2/10
Original post by Baza2002
Colin didn't do very well in his test.

8 is the highest common factor of 16 and 80 so divide both by 8 so you have 2/10


There is a higher common factor than 8, as you should be able to see from the fact that 2/10 can be further simplified.
Original post by amber1234567899
Colin got 16 out of 80 correct in his test.What fraction of the marks did he get correct? Give your answer in its simplest form.

The fraction is obviously 16/80. Now cancel common factors. In this case, one number is a multiple of the other, so you should get 1 for the numerator.

Both numbers are even, so divide each by two (or any larger common factor that you can see) and repeat until you can no longer see a common factor.
It's kind of a shame they don't teach the Euclidean algorithm in school. Yes, you probably need an element of "it works by magic" in explaining it, but at the same time it's both useful *and* one of the first exposures to something that really is kind of magical in how it works (IMHO).

[Also, the extended Euclidean algorithm, although that's probably a stretch for most GCSE students].
Original post by old_engineer
There is a higher common factor than 8, as you should be able to see from the fact that 2/10 can be further simplified.


Oh yeah. Can't believe I made that mistake

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