Finding the Simplest Form: 88 and 72
The simplest form of a number is also known as its lowest terms or simplified fraction. To find the simplest form, we need to find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of the numbers and then divide both numbers by the GCD.
Let's tackle 88 and 72 individually:
Finding the Simplest Form of 88
To find the simplest form of 88, we need to determine if it can be divided by any number other than 1 and itself. We'll use prime factorization:
88 = 2 x 44 = 2 x 2 x 22 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 11
Since the prime factorization only contains 2 and 11, 88 cannot be simplified further. Therefore, the simplest form of 88 is 88. This is because 88 is already a whole number and doesn't represent a fraction or ratio that can be reduced.
Finding the Simplest Form of 72
We'll use the same prime factorization method for 72:
72 = 2 x 36 = 2 x 2 x 18 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 9 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 = 2³ x 3²
72 can be simplified if it were part of a fraction. For example, if we had the fraction 72/108 we could find the GCD of 72 and 108. But as a standalone number, 72 in its simplest form remains 72.
In summary: The simplest forms of 88 and 72 are 88 and 72, respectively. They are already in their simplest form as whole numbers. If these numbers were part of a fraction, we would need to find their GCD to simplify the fraction.
