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:
23,612 = 2 × 2 × 5,903 = 22 × 5,903
23,612 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
50,000 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 = 24 × 55
50,000 is a composite number.
23,612/50,000 =
(23,612 ÷ 4) / (50,000 ÷ 4) =
5,903/12,500
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.
23,612/50,000 =
(22 × 5,903)/(24 × 55) =
((22 × 5,903) ÷ 22) / ((24 × 55) ÷ 22) =
5,903/(22 × 55) =
5,903/12,500
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
5,903/12,500 =
5,903 ÷ 12,500 =
0.47224 ≈
0.47