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Exercise 370Number theory › Divisibility and gcdHigh schoolAdded 2 Nov 2026

Simplifying a fraction with the divisibility

#divisibility#irreducible fraction#simplification

Statement

Simplify 17251995\dfrac{1725}{1995} to an irreducible fraction.

Hint

Compute \divisibility(1725,1995)\divisibility(1725,1995) with the Euclidean algorithm and divide.

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Solution

Euclidean algorithm.
\begin{align*}
1995 &= 1\cdot1785+210,\\
1785 &= 8\cdot210+105,\\
210 &= 2\cdot105+0.
\end{align*}
So \divisibility(1725,1995)=105\divisibility(1725,1995)=105.

Simplification.
17251995=1725/1051995/105=1719.\frac{1725}{1995}=\frac{1725/105}{1995/105}=\frac{17}{19}.

Since 1717 is prime and does not divide 1919, the fraction is irreducible.