Final answer:
The simplest form of 5/10 is 1/2 because both the numerator and denominator can be divided by their greatest common factor, which is 5. Therefore, by dividing both by 5, we get 1/2, which corresponds to option A) 1/2.
Step-by-step explanation:
To express the fraction 5/10 in simplest form, you need to divide both the numerator (the top number) and the denominator (the bottom number) by the greatest common factor they share. In this case, both 5 and 10 can be divided by 5. Therefore, when you divide 5 by 5, you get 1, and when you divide 10 by 5, you also get 2, resulting in the fraction 1/2.
This process is known as simplifying or reducing a fraction. In our daily life, we often do similar simplifications intuitively. For instance, if you know that one half of a pie is the same as two quarters of the pie (since two quarters add up to make a half), you can deduce that having four quarters gives you the whole pie. Similarly, when you are given a fraction like 5/10, you can remember that it's like having half of something because 5 is half of 10, just as 1 is half of 2.
So, the simplest form of 5/10 is option A) 1/2. This simplification of fractions helps in making calculations easier and helps with better understanding proportions in problems we may encounter in various facets of math and real life.