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:
2,344,270 = 2 × 5 × 359 × 653
2,344,270 is a composite number.
20,000,000,134 = 2 × 19 × 526,315,793
20,000,000,134 is a composite number.
2,344,270/20,000,000,134 =
(2,344,270 ÷ 2) / (20,000,000,134 ÷ 2) =
1,172,135/10,000,000,067
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.
2,344,270/20,000,000,134 =
(2 × 5 × 359 × 653)/(2 × 19 × 526,315,793) =
((2 × 5 × 359 × 653) ÷ 2) / ((2 × 19 × 526,315,793) ÷ 2) =
(5 × 359 × 653)/(19 × 526,315,793) =
1,172,135/10,000,000,067
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,172,135/10,000,000,067 =
1,172,135 ÷ 10,000,000,067 =
0.000117213499 ≈
0