Fractions help
Simplifying fractions
Simplifying a fraction means writing it in the smallest, tidiest way possible — without changing what it means. 6/8 and 3/4 are the same amount. But 3/4 is simpler. In FishyFractions, every answer needs to be fully simplified before the game accepts it.
What this looks like in the game
A fish swims across the screen. You tap it and a fraction appears — something like 6/8. You drag number tiles into the fraction frame to build your answer. When you submit, the game checks whether your answer is correct and whether it is fully simplified.
If you enter 3/4, the game accepts it. If you enter 6/8 — even though that is correct — the game asks you to simplify further. That extra step is the lesson.
How to simplify a fraction
Worked example 1 — simple case
What divides into both 6 and 9?
The number 3 does.
6 ÷ 3 = 2 · 9 ÷ 3 = 3
Result
6/9 = 2/3
Check: does anything divide into both 2 and 3? No. So 2/3 is fully simplified.
Worked example 2 — harder case
Step by step
÷ 2 → 12/18 · ÷ 2 → 6/9 · ÷ 3 → 2/3
Or use the highest common factor (12) in one step
24 ÷ 12 = 2 · 36 ÷ 12 = 3
24/36 = 2/3
Either route works. The shortcut is to find the biggest number that divides into both — that is called the highest common factor.
The most common mistake
Watch out for
Stopping too early — simplifying once and not checking whether the answer can be simplified again.
Wrong
24/36 → ÷ 2 → 12/18 → stop here.
12/18 can still be simplified.
Right
24/36 → ÷ 2 → 12/18 → ÷ 2 → 6/9 → ÷ 3 → 2/3. Now stop.
Always check your answer: can anything divide into both the top number and the bottom number? If yes, keep going.
Try one yourself
Which game stage uses this
Simplifying comes up at every stage of FishyFractions. From your very first question to the hardest ones, every answer must be fully simplified before the game accepts it.