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:
2,344,276 = 2 × 2 × 11 × 53,279 = 22 × 11 × 53,279
2,344,276 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
20,000,000,120 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 5 × 500,000,003 = 23 × 5 × 500,000,003
20,000,000,120 is a composite number.
2,344,276/20,000,000,120 =
(2,344,276 ÷ 4) / (20,000,000,120 ÷ 4) =
586,069/5,000,000,030
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.
2,344,276/20,000,000,120 =
(22 × 11 × 53,279)/(23 × 5 × 500,000,003) =
((22 × 11 × 53,279) ÷ 22) / ((23 × 5 × 500,000,003) ÷ 22) =
(11 × 53,279)/(2 × 5 × 500,000,003) =
586,069/5,000,000,030
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
586,069/5,000,000,030 =
586,069 ÷ 5,000,000,030 =
0.000117213799 ≈
0