Analyze the fractions to be compared and ordered, by category:
negative proper fractions: - 259/402, - 261/410, - 286/425, - 277/394
Simplify the operation
Reduce (simplify) the fractions to their lowest terms equivalents:
- To reduce a fraction to the lowest terms equivalent: divide both the numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor, GCF.
The fraction: - 259/402
- 259/402 is already reduced to the lowest terms.
The numerator and denominator have no common prime factors:
- 259 = 7 × 37
- 402 = 2 × 3 × 67
- GCF (259; 402) = 1
The fraction: - 261/410
- 261/410 is already reduced to the lowest terms.
The numerator and denominator have no common prime factors:
- 261 = 32 × 29
- 410 = 2 × 5 × 41
- GCF (261; 410) = 1
The fraction: - 286/425
- 286/425 is already reduced to the lowest terms.
The numerator and denominator have no common prime factors:
- 286 = 2 × 11 × 13
- 425 = 52 × 17
- GCF (286; 425) = 1
The fraction: - 277/394
- 277/394 is already reduced to the lowest terms.
The numerator and denominator have no common prime factors:
- 277 is a prime number.
- 394 = 2 × 197
- GCF (277; 394) = 1
Calculate the common denominator
The common denominator is nothing else than the least common multiple (LCM) of the denominators of the fractions.
To calculate the LCM, we need the prime factorization of the denominators:
402 = 2 × 3 × 67
410 = 2 × 5 × 41
425 = 52 × 17
394 = 2 × 197
Multiply all the unique prime factors: if there are repeating prime factors we only take them once, and only the ones having the highest exponent (the highest powers).
LCM (402, 410, 425, 394) = 2 × 3 × 52 × 17 × 41 × 67 × 197 = 1,379,955,450
Calculate the expanding number of each fraction:
Divide the LCM by the denominator of each fraction.
- 259/402 ⟶ 1,379,955,450 ÷ 402 = (2 × 3 × 52 × 17 × 41 × 67 × 197) ÷ (2 × 3 × 67) = 3,432,725
- 261/410 ⟶ 1,379,955,450 ÷ 410 = (2 × 3 × 52 × 17 × 41 × 67 × 197) ÷ (2 × 5 × 41) = 3,365,745
- 286/425 ⟶ 1,379,955,450 ÷ 425 = (2 × 3 × 52 × 17 × 41 × 67 × 197) ÷ (52 × 17) = 3,246,954
- 277/394 ⟶ 1,379,955,450 ÷ 394 = (2 × 3 × 52 × 17 × 41 × 67 × 197) ÷ (2 × 197) = 3,502,425
Make the denominators of the fractions the same:
- Expand each fraction: multiply both its numerator and denominator by its corresponding expanding number, calculated above.
- This way all the fractions will have the same denominator:
- 259/402 = - (3,432,725 × 259)/(3,432,725 × 402) = - 889,075,775/1,379,955,450
- 261/410 = - (3,365,745 × 261)/(3,365,745 × 410) = - 878,459,445/1,379,955,450
- 286/425 = - (3,246,954 × 286)/(3,246,954 × 425) = - 928,628,844/1,379,955,450
- 277/394 = - (3,502,425 × 277)/(3,502,425 × 394) = - 970,171,725/1,379,955,450