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:
1,854 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 103 = 2 × 32 × 103
1,854 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
4,172 = 2 × 2 × 7 × 149 = 22 × 7 × 149
4,172 is a composite number.
1,854/4,172 =
(1,854 ÷ 2) / (4,172 ÷ 2) =
927/2,086
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.
1,854/4,172 =
(2 × 32 × 103)/(22 × 7 × 149) =
((2 × 32 × 103) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 7 × 149) ÷ 2) =
(32 × 103)/(2 × 7 × 149) =
927/2,086
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
927/2,086 =
927 ÷ 2,086 =
0.444391179291 ≈
0.44