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:
1,176,474 = 2 × 3 × 13 × 15,083
1,176,474 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
4,000,005 = 3 × 3 × 5 × 103 × 863 = 32 × 5 × 103 × 863
4,000,005 is a composite number.
1,176,474/4,000,005 =
(1,176,474 ÷ 3) / (4,000,005 ÷ 3) =
392,158/1,333,335
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.
1,176,474/4,000,005 =
(2 × 3 × 13 × 15,083)/(32 × 5 × 103 × 863) =
((2 × 3 × 13 × 15,083) ÷ 3) / ((32 × 5 × 103 × 863) ÷ 3) =
(2 × 13 × 15,083)/(3 × 5 × 103 × 863) =
392,158/1,333,335
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
392,158/1,333,335 =
392,158 ÷ 1,333,335 =
0.294118132352 ≈
0.29