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:
2,650 = 2 × 5 × 5 × 53 = 2 × 52 × 53
2,650 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
19,984 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 1,249 = 24 × 1,249
19,984 is a composite number.
2,650/19,984 =
(2,650 ÷ 2) / (19,984 ÷ 2) =
1,325/9,992
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.
2,650/19,984 =
(2 × 52 × 53)/(24 × 1,249) =
((2 × 52 × 53) ÷ 2) / ((24 × 1,249) ÷ 2) =
(52 × 53)/(23 × 1,249) =
1,325/9,992
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,325/9,992 =
1,325 ÷ 9,992 =
0.132606084868 ≈
0.13