Compare 5/8 and 42/40
1st number: 5/8, 2nd number: 1 2/40
5/8 is smaller than 42/40
Steps for comparing fractions
- Find the least common denominator or LCM of the two denominators:
LCM of 8 and 40 is 40
Next, find the equivalent fraction of both fractional numbers with denominator 40 - For the 1st fraction, since 8 × 5 = 40,
5/8 = 5 × 5/8 × 5 = 25/40 - Likewise, for the 2nd fraction, since 40 × 1 = 40,
42/40 = 42 × 1/40 × 1 = 42/40 - Since the denominators are now the same, the fraction with the bigger numerator is the greater fraction
- 25/40 < 42/40 or 5/8 < 42/40
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