You always want to reduce a fraction as low as you can so the numerator and denominator do not have any common factors.

For example:

24/36 is your fraction –

you find the greatest common factor and divide by that. So, the GCF of both these numbers is 12.

Divide both by 12 and your answer is 2/3, which is your simplified answer. 2 and 3 do not have any common factors.

Some people would start off dividing by 2, so you would have 12/18. Then you would have to divide by 2 again – answer: 6/9, but both these numbers have 3 as a factor, so you would have to divide both by 3 to get 2/3.

This can become quite tedious, so dividing by the GCF is really the best route to take.