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:
212,146 = 2 × 11 × 9,643
212,146 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
300,004 = 2 × 2 × 179 × 419 = 22 × 179 × 419
300,004 is a composite number.
212,146/300,004 =
(212,146 ÷ 2) / (300,004 ÷ 2) =
106,073/150,002
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.
212,146/300,004 =
(2 × 11 × 9,643)/(22 × 179 × 419) =
((2 × 11 × 9,643) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 179 × 419) ÷ 2) =
(11 × 9,643)/(2 × 179 × 419) =
106,073/150,002
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
106,073/150,002 =
106,073 ÷ 150,002 =
0.707143904748 ≈
0.71