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:
12,855,884 = 2 × 2 × 73 × 44,027 = 22 × 73 × 44,027
12,855,884 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
29,997,012 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 2,499,751 = 22 × 3 × 2,499,751
29,997,012 is a composite number.
12,855,884/29,997,012 =
(12,855,884 ÷ 4) / (29,997,012 ÷ 4) =
3,213,971/7,499,253
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.
12,855,884/29,997,012 =
(22 × 73 × 44,027)/(22 × 3 × 2,499,751) =
((22 × 73 × 44,027) ÷ 22) / ((22 × 3 × 2,499,751) ÷ 22) =
(73 × 44,027)/(3 × 2,499,751) =
3,213,971/7,499,253
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
3,213,971/7,499,253 =
3,213,971 ÷ 7,499,253 =
0.428572152453 ≈
0.43