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:
27,063,336 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 241 × 4,679 = 23 × 3 × 241 × 4,679
27,063,336 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
31,249,976 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3,906,247 = 23 × 3,906,247
31,249,976 is a composite number.
27,063,336/31,249,976 =
(27,063,336 ÷ 8) / (31,249,976 ÷ 8) =
3,382,917/3,906,247
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.
27,063,336/31,249,976 =
(23 × 3 × 241 × 4,679)/(23 × 3,906,247) =
((23 × 3 × 241 × 4,679) ÷ 23) / ((23 × 3,906,247) ÷ 23) =
(3 × 241 × 4,679)/3,906,247 =
3,382,917/3,906,247
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
3,382,917/3,906,247 =
3,382,917 ÷ 3,906,247 =
0.866027417109 ≈
0.87