To determine what fraction of an hour 36 minutes represents, follow these steps:
1. Know the total minutes in an hour:
- An hour consists of 60 minutes.
2. Establish the fraction:
- To find what fraction of an hour 36 minutes is, you write the fraction as [tex]\( \frac{36}{60} \)[/tex].
3. Simplify the fraction:
- The greatest common divisor (GCD) of 36 and 60 is 12.
- To simplify [tex]\( \frac{36}{60} \)[/tex], divide both the numerator and the denominator by their GCD, 12:
[tex]\[
\frac{36 \div 12}{60 \div 12} = \frac{3}{5}
\][/tex]
4. Conclusion:
- The simplified fraction that represents 36 minutes out of an hour is [tex]\( \frac{3}{5} \)[/tex].
Thus, the correct answer is (a) [tex]\(\frac{3}{5}\)[/tex].