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:
2,728,584 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 37,897 = 23 × 32 × 37,897
2,728,584 is a composite number.
3,999,982 = 2 × 7 × 47 × 6,079
3,999,982 is a composite number.
2,728,584/3,999,982 =
(2,728,584 ÷ 2) / (3,999,982 ÷ 2) =
1,364,292/1,999,991
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.
2,728,584/3,999,982 =
(23 × 32 × 37,897)/(2 × 7 × 47 × 6,079) =
((23 × 32 × 37,897) ÷ 2) / ((2 × 7 × 47 × 6,079) ÷ 2) =
(22 × 32 × 37,897)/(7 × 47 × 6,079) =
1,364,292/1,999,991
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,364,292/1,999,991 =
1,364,292 ÷ 1,999,991 =
0.682149069671 ≈
0.68