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:
212,142 = 2 × 3 × 7 × 5,051
212,142 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
300,000 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 = 25 × 3 × 55
300,000 is a composite number.
212,142/300,000 =
(212,142 ÷ 6) / (300,000 ÷ 6) =
35,357/50,000
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.
212,142/300,000 =
(2 × 3 × 7 × 5,051)/(25 × 3 × 55) =
((2 × 3 × 7 × 5,051) ÷ (2 × 3)) / ((25 × 3 × 55) ÷ (2 × 3)) =
(7 × 5,051)/(24 × 55) =
35,357/50,000
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
35,357/50,000 =
35,357 ÷ 50,000 =
0.70714 ≈
0.71