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:
1,176,489 = 3 × 3 × 37 × 3,533 = 32 × 37 × 3,533
1,176,489 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
4,000,014 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 61 × 3,643 = 2 × 32 × 61 × 3,643
4,000,014 is a composite number.
1,176,489/4,000,014 =
(1,176,489 ÷ 9) / (4,000,014 ÷ 9) =
130,721/444,446
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.
1,176,489/4,000,014 =
(32 × 37 × 3,533)/(2 × 32 × 61 × 3,643) =
((32 × 37 × 3,533) ÷ 32) / ((2 × 32 × 61 × 3,643) ÷ 32) =
(37 × 3,533)/(2 × 61 × 3,643) =
130,721/444,446
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
130,721/444,446 =
130,721 ÷ 444,446 =
0.294121220576 ≈
0.29