Detailed calculations and explanations, below
A common ordinary fraction is made up of
two integer numbers and a fraction bar:
- 18/999,906
Write the sign of the number in front of the fraction:
- 18/999,906 = - 18/999,906
- The integer number above the bar is called numerator: 18
- The integer number below the bar is called denominator: 999,906
- The sign of the fraction: - (a negative value).
- The fraction bar means that the numerator is divided by the denominator.
- To get the fraction's value divide the numerator by the denominator:
The value = - 18 ÷ 999,906
To reduce a fraction to the lowest terms equivalent: divide the numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor, GCF
To calculate the greatest common factor, GCF:
- 1. Factor the numerator and the denominator (into prime factors), build their prime factorizations.
- 2. Multiply all their common prime factors, taken by the lowest exponents.
1. Factor the numerator and the denominator:
To factor a number (into prime factors) - or, in other words, to break it down to prime factors - or, in other words, to build its prime factorization: find the prime numbers that multiply together to get that number.
The prime factorizations:
Written with exponents:
18 = 2 × 3 × 3 = 2 × 32
18 is a composite number.
999,906 = 2 × 3 × 17 × 9,803
999,906 is a composite number.
- 18/999,906 =
- (18 ÷ 6) / (999,906 ÷ 6) =
- 3/166,651
Yet another method to reduce the fraction
To reduce a fraction without calculating the GCF: factor its numerator and denominator, then all the common prime factors are easily identified and crossed out.
- 18/999,906 =
- (2 × 32)/(2 × 3 × 17 × 9,803) =
- ((2 × 32) ÷ (2 × 3)) / ((2 × 3 × 17 × 9,803) ÷ (2 × 3)) =
- 3/(17 × 9,803) =
- 3/166,651
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
- 3/166,651 =
- 3 ÷ 166,651 =
- 0.000018001692 ≈
0