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:
2,666,706 = 2 × 3 × 7 × 63,493
2,666,706 is a composite number.
800,000,002 = 2 × 19,801 × 20,201
800,000,002 is a composite number.
2,666,706/800,000,002 =
(2,666,706 ÷ 2) / (800,000,002 ÷ 2) =
1,333,353/400,000,001
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.
2,666,706/800,000,002 =
(2 × 3 × 7 × 63,493)/(2 × 19,801 × 20,201) =
((2 × 3 × 7 × 63,493) ÷ 2) / ((2 × 19,801 × 20,201) ÷ 2) =
(3 × 7 × 63,493)/(19,801 × 20,201) =
1,333,353/400,000,001
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,333,353/400,000,001 =
1,333,353 ÷ 400,000,001 =
0.003333382492 ≈
0