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:
10,909,125 = 3 × 3 × 5 × 5 × 5 × 9,697 = 32 × 53 × 9,697
10,909,125 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
89,999,991 = 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 239 × 4,649 = 34 × 239 × 4,649
89,999,991 is a composite number.
10,909,125/89,999,991 =
(10,909,125 ÷ 9) / (89,999,991 ÷ 9) =
1,212,125/9,999,999
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.
10,909,125/89,999,991 =
(32 × 53 × 9,697)/(34 × 239 × 4,649) =
((32 × 53 × 9,697) ÷ 32) / ((34 × 239 × 4,649) ÷ 32) =
(53 × 9,697)/(32 × 239 × 4,649) =
1,212,125/9,999,999
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,212,125/9,999,999 =
1,212,125 ÷ 9,999,999 =
0.121212512121 ≈
0.12