2. Write the number as a proper fraction.
- 0.246 can be written as a proper fraction.
- A proper fraction = the numerator is smaller than the denominator..
Write down the number divided by 1, as a fraction:
0.246 = 0.246/1
Turn the top number into a whole number.
- Multiply both the top and the bottom by the same number.
- This number is: 1,000.
- 1 followed by as many 0-s as the number of digits after the decimal point.
0.246/1 =
(0.246 × 1,000)/(1 × 1,000) =
246/1,000
3. Reduce (simplify) the fraction above:
246/1,000
to the lowest terms, to its simplest equivalent form, irreducible.
To reduce a fraction to the lowest terms divide the numerator and denominator by their greatest (highest) common factor (divisor), GCF.
Factor the numerator and denominator (prime factorization).
246 = 2 × 3 × 41
1,000 = 23 × 53
Calculate the greatest (highest) common factor (divisor), GCF.
Multiply all the common prime factors by the lowest exponents.
GCF (2 × 3 × 41; 23 × 53) = 2
Divide both the numerator and the denominator by their GCF.
246/1,000 =
(2 × 3 × 41)/(23 × 53) =
((2 × 3 × 41) ÷ 2) / ((23 × 53) ÷ 2) =
(3 × 41)/(22 × 53) =
123/500