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:
132,742,148 = 2 × 2 × 7 × 11 × 430,981 = 22 × 7 × 11 × 430,981
132,742,148 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
4 = 2 × 2 = 22
4 is a composite number.
132,742,148/4 =
(132,742,148 ÷ 4) / (4 ÷ 4) =
33,185,537/1 =
33,185,537
* When it's 1, the denominator of the fraction can be omitted.
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.
132,742,148/4 =
(22 × 7 × 11 × 430,981)/22 =
((22 × 7 × 11 × 430,981) ÷ 22) / (22 ÷ 22) =
(7 × 11 × 430,981)/1 =
(7 × 11 × 430,981) =
33,185,537
* When it's 1, the denominator of the fraction can be omitted.
As a positive improper fraction:
(the numerator > the denominator)
- The integer numbers are a particular case of those fractions that have a denominator equal to 1.
- Any integer number 'n' can be written as a fraction with a denominator of 1. Starting from here, by multiplying both the numerator and the denominator by the same number, an integer number can be written as a multitude of equivalent fractions:
- n = n/1 = (2 × n)/2 = (3 × n)/3 = ...
- Example: 3 = 3/1 = (2 × 3)/2 = 6/2 = (3 × 3)/3 = 9/3 = ...
33,185,537 = 33,185,537/1
As a percentage:
- A percentage value p% is equal to the fraction: p/100, for any decimal number p. So, we need to change the form of the number calculated above, to show a denominator of 100.
- To do that, multiply the number by the fraction 100/100.
- The value of the fraction 100/100 = 1, so by multiplying the number by this fraction the result is not changing, only the form.
33,185,537 =
33,185,537 × 100/100 =
(33,185,537 × 100)/100 =
3,318,553,700/100 =
3,318,553,700%
- In other words:
- (1) Calculate the fraction's value, (2) multiply that number by 100, and (3) add the percent sign % to it.
The final answer:
written in three ways