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:
1,226 = 2 × 613
1,226 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
7,999,992 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37 = 23 × 33 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37
7,999,992 is a composite number.
1,226/7,999,992 =
(1,226 ÷ 2) / (7,999,992 ÷ 2) =
613/3,999,996
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.
1,226/7,999,992 =
(2 × 613)/(23 × 33 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) =
((2 × 613) ÷ 2) / ((23 × 33 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) ÷ 2) =
613/(22 × 33 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) =
613/3,999,996
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
613/3,999,996 =
613 ÷ 3,999,996 =
0.000153250153 ≈
0