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:
15,999,962 = 2 × 11 × 727,271
15,999,962 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
59,999,932 = 2 × 2 × 59 × 97 × 2,621 = 22 × 59 × 97 × 2,621
59,999,932 is a composite number.
15,999,962/59,999,932 =
(15,999,962 ÷ 2) / (59,999,932 ÷ 2) =
7,999,981/29,999,966
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.
15,999,962/59,999,932 =
(2 × 11 × 727,271)/(22 × 59 × 97 × 2,621) =
((2 × 11 × 727,271) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 59 × 97 × 2,621) ÷ 2) =
(11 × 727,271)/(2 × 59 × 97 × 2,621) =
7,999,981/29,999,966
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
7,999,981/29,999,966 =
7,999,981 ÷ 29,999,966 =
0.266666335555 ≈
0.27