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:
2,187,496 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 43 × 6,359 = 23 × 43 × 6,359
2,187,496 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
7,499,988 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 208,333 = 22 × 32 × 208,333
7,499,988 is a composite number.
2,187,496/7,499,988 =
(2,187,496 ÷ 4) / (7,499,988 ÷ 4) =
546,874/1,874,997
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.
2,187,496/7,499,988 =
(23 × 43 × 6,359)/(22 × 32 × 208,333) =
((23 × 43 × 6,359) ÷ 22) / ((22 × 32 × 208,333) ÷ 22) =
(2 × 43 × 6,359)/(32 × 208,333) =
546,874/1,874,997
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
546,874/1,874,997 =
546,874 ÷ 1,874,997 =
0.2916666 ≈
0.29