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:
1,014 = 2 × 3 × 13 × 13 = 2 × 3 × 132
1,014 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
2,480 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 5 × 31 = 24 × 5 × 31
2,480 is a composite number.
1,014/2,480 =
(1,014 ÷ 2) / (2,480 ÷ 2) =
507/1,240
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.
1,014/2,480 =
(2 × 3 × 132)/(24 × 5 × 31) =
((2 × 3 × 132) ÷ 2) / ((24 × 5 × 31) ÷ 2) =
(3 × 132)/(23 × 5 × 31) =
507/1,240
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
507/1,240 =
507 ÷ 1,240 =
0.408870967742 ≈
0.41