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:
1,892 = 2 × 2 × 11 × 43 = 22 × 11 × 43
1,892 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
8,016 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 167 = 24 × 3 × 167
8,016 is a composite number.
1,892/8,016 =
(1,892 ÷ 4) / (8,016 ÷ 4) =
473/2,004
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.
1,892/8,016 =
(22 × 11 × 43)/(24 × 3 × 167) =
((22 × 11 × 43) ÷ 22) / ((24 × 3 × 167) ÷ 22) =
(11 × 43)/(22 × 3 × 167) =
473/2,004
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
473/2,004 =
473 ÷ 2,004 =
0.236027944112 ≈
0.24