Question

Express the following rational numbers in standard form
a) -35/49 b) 24/-12

Answer 1

Explanation:

a) To express -35/49 in standard form, we need to write it in the form a/b, where a and b are integers with no common factors other than 1 and b is positive. To do this, we can divide both the numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor (GCF). The GCF of 35 and 49 is 7, so:

-35/49 = (-1)(35/7) ÷ (7/7) = (-1)(5/1) ÷ (7/1) = -5/7

Therefore, -35/49 in standard form is -5/7.

b) To express 24/-12 in standard form, we follow the same procedure. The GCF of 24 and 12 is 12, so:

24/-12 = (24/12) ÷ (-12/12) = 2 ÷ (-1) = -2

Therefore, 24/-12 in standard form is -2.