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:
1,535,000,380 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 17 × 17 × 265,571 = 22 × 5 × 172 × 265,571
1,535,000,380 is a composite number.
85 = 5 × 17
85 is a composite number.
1,535,000,380/85 =
(1,535,000,380 ÷ 85) / (85 ÷ 85) =
18,058,828/1 =
18,058,828
* 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.
1,535,000,380/85 =
(22 × 5 × 172 × 265,571)/(5 × 17) =
((22 × 5 × 172 × 265,571) ÷ (5 × 17)) / ((5 × 17) ÷ (5 × 17)) =
(22 × 17 × 265,571)/1 =
(22 × 17 × 265,571) =
18,058,828
* 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 = ...
18,058,828 = 18,058,828/1
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.
18,058,828 =
18,058,828 × 100/100 =
(18,058,828 × 100)/100 =
1,805,882,800/100 =
1,805,882,800%
- 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