Detailed calculations and explanations, below
A common ordinary fraction is made up of
two integer numbers and a fraction bar:
- 42/8,193
Write the sign of the number in front of the fraction:
- 42/8,193 = - 42/8,193
- The integer number above the bar is called numerator: 42
- The integer number below the bar is called denominator: 8,193
- 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 = - 42 ÷ 8,193
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:
42 = 2 × 3 × 7
42 is a composite number.
8,193 = 3 × 2,731
8,193 is a composite number.
- 42/8,193 =
- (42 ÷ 3) / (8,193 ÷ 3) =
- 14/2,731
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.
- 42/8,193 =
- (2 × 3 × 7)/(3 × 2,731) =
- ((2 × 3 × 7) ÷ 3) / ((3 × 2,731) ÷ 3) =
- (2 × 7)/2,731 =
- 14/2,731
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
- 14/2,731 =
- 14 ÷ 2,731 =
- 0.005126327353 ≈
- 0.01