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:
1,128 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 47 = 23 × 3 × 47
1,128 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
59,999,994 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 239 × 4,649 = 2 × 33 × 239 × 4,649
59,999,994 is a composite number.
1,128/59,999,994 =
(1,128 ÷ 6) / (59,999,994 ÷ 6) =
188/9,999,999
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.
1,128/59,999,994 =
(23 × 3 × 47)/(2 × 33 × 239 × 4,649) =
((23 × 3 × 47) ÷ (2 × 3)) / ((2 × 33 × 239 × 4,649) ÷ (2 × 3)) =
(22 × 47)/(32 × 239 × 4,649) =
188/9,999,999
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
188/9,999,999 =
188 ÷ 9,999,999 =
0.000018800002 ≈
0