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:
1,460 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 73 = 22 × 5 × 73
1,460 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
50,012 = 2 × 2 × 12,503 = 22 × 12,503
50,012 is a composite number.
1,460/50,012 =
(1,460 ÷ 4) / (50,012 ÷ 4) =
365/12,503
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.
1,460/50,012 =
(22 × 5 × 73)/(22 × 12,503) =
((22 × 5 × 73) ÷ 22) / ((22 × 12,503) ÷ 22) =
(5 × 73)/12,503 =
365/12,503
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
365/12,503 =
365 ÷ 12,503 =
0.029192993682 ≈
0.03