How do you simplify before multiplying fractions?

To simplify fractions before multiplying, divide any numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor.

Example:

To simplify fractions before multiplying:

A cooler is img full of sodas. Of this amount, img are root beers.
To find the part that is root beers, multiply img by img.

img

Check if both fractions are in simplest form. The fraction img written in simplest form is img.

image

Before multiplying the fractions, check if you can simplify the fractions further: divide any numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor. The greatest common factor of 3 and 3 is 3, so cross out and divide both numbers by 3.

img

Now, multiply the simplified fractions to find the product in simplest form.

img

The picture below shows that img of img is img of the whole cooler. The cooler is img full of root beers.

img

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