Final answer:
To simplify the fraction 12/20, divide both the numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor, which is 4. The simplified fraction is 3/5.
Step-by-step explanation:
To simplify the fraction 12/20, we need to find the greatest common factor (GCF) of 12 and 20. The GCF is the largest number that divides evenly into both 12 and 20. To find the GCF, we can list the factors of each number:
Factors of 12: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
Factors of 20: 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20
The common factors of 12 and 20 are 1, 2, and 4. The largest common factor is 4. To simplify the fraction, we divide both the numerator and denominator by the GCF:
12 ÷ 4 = 3
20 ÷ 4 = 5
Therefore, the simplified fraction is 3/5.