Final answer:
To simplify the fraction 40/44, find the greatest common divisor, which is 4, and divide both numerator and denominator by it to get the simplified form 10/11.
Step-by-step explanation:
To simplify the fraction 40/44, we need to find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of both numerator and denominator and divide them by it. The GCD of 40 and 44 is 4. Therefore, dividing both by 4, we get 40 ÷ 4 = 10 and 44 ÷ 4 = 11, so the simplified fraction is 10/11.
Another way to look at the simplification process is by factoring both the numerator and the denominator and then cancelling out the common factors. This will also result in the fraction 10/11.
It's essential to recognize that multiplication and division by the same number (other than zero) does not change the value of a fraction, merely its form. So simplifying a fraction is just finding a different form of the same value.