In the teaching of elementary mathematics, one of the areas that seems to give the most trouble is that of the reduction of simple fractions. For example, let us consider a proper fraction of the form a/b. We can reduce a/b to lowest terms by finding the greatest common divisor of a and b, denoted by GCD (a, b), and factoring it out of both numerator and denominator. This method, of course, calls for an understanding of factoring. Factoring is not beyond the realm of understanding of the students, but the method is so time-consuming and laborious that most students, especially the slower ones, are disenchanted with it and do not use it. Students then resort to the old standby method of trial-and-error, accompanied by a few rules of divisibility, which is, of course, also very time-consuming and laborious on many fractions. Too many students become discouraged with the whole process and tend to give up, thereby retarding their learning of how to properly reduce fractions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.