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:
2,466 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 137 = 2 × 32 × 137
2,466 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
3,050 = 2 × 5 × 5 × 61 = 2 × 52 × 61
3,050 is a composite number.
2,466/3,050 =
(2,466 ÷ 2) / (3,050 ÷ 2) =
1,233/1,525
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.
2,466/3,050 =
(2 × 32 × 137)/(2 × 52 × 61) =
((2 × 32 × 137) ÷ 2) / ((2 × 52 × 61) ÷ 2) =
(32 × 137)/(52 × 61) =
1,233/1,525
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,233/1,525 =
1,233 ÷ 1,525 =
0.808524590164 ≈
0.81