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:
1,650 = 2 × 3 × 5 × 5 × 11 = 2 × 3 × 52 × 11
1,650 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
6,972 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 7 × 83 = 22 × 3 × 7 × 83
6,972 is a composite number.
1,650/6,972 =
(1,650 ÷ 6) / (6,972 ÷ 6) =
275/1,162
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.
1,650/6,972 =
(2 × 3 × 52 × 11)/(22 × 3 × 7 × 83) =
((2 × 3 × 52 × 11) ÷ (2 × 3)) / ((22 × 3 × 7 × 83) ÷ (2 × 3)) =
(52 × 11)/(2 × 7 × 83) =
275/1,162
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
275/1,162 =
275 ÷ 1,162 =
0.236660929432 ≈
0.24