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:
23,703,704 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2,962,963 = 23 × 2,962,963
23,703,704 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
44,444,444 = 2 × 2 × 11 × 73 × 101 × 137 = 22 × 11 × 73 × 101 × 137
44,444,444 is a composite number.
23,703,704/44,444,444 =
(23,703,704 ÷ 4) / (44,444,444 ÷ 4) =
5,925,926/11,111,111
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.
23,703,704/44,444,444 =
(23 × 2,962,963)/(22 × 11 × 73 × 101 × 137) =
((23 × 2,962,963) ÷ 22) / ((22 × 11 × 73 × 101 × 137) ÷ 22) =
(2 × 2,962,963)/(11 × 73 × 101 × 137) =
5,925,926/11,111,111
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
5,925,926/11,111,111 =
5,925,926 ÷ 11,111,111 =
0.533333345333 ≈
0.53