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:
212,130 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 5 × 2,357 = 2 × 32 × 5 × 2,357
212,130 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
299,982 = 2 × 3 × 17 × 17 × 173 = 2 × 3 × 172 × 173
299,982 is a composite number.
212,130/299,982 =
(212,130 ÷ 6) / (299,982 ÷ 6) =
35,355/49,997
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.
212,130/299,982 =
(2 × 32 × 5 × 2,357)/(2 × 3 × 172 × 173) =
((2 × 32 × 5 × 2,357) ÷ (2 × 3)) / ((2 × 3 × 172 × 173) ÷ (2 × 3)) =
(3 × 5 × 2,357)/(172 × 173) =
35,355/49,997
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
35,355/49,997 =
35,355 ÷ 49,997 =
0.707142428546 ≈
0.71