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:
1,422 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 79 = 2 × 32 × 79
1,422 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
4,396 = 2 × 2 × 7 × 157 = 22 × 7 × 157
4,396 is a composite number.
1,422/4,396 =
(1,422 ÷ 2) / (4,396 ÷ 2) =
711/2,198
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.
1,422/4,396 =
(2 × 32 × 79)/(22 × 7 × 157) =
((2 × 32 × 79) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 7 × 157) ÷ 2) =
(32 × 79)/(2 × 7 × 157) =
711/2,198
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
711/2,198 =
711 ÷ 2,198 =
0.32347588717 ≈
0.32