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:
2,740 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 137 = 22 × 5 × 137
2,740 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
4,064 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 127 = 25 × 127
4,064 is a composite number.
2,740/4,064 =
(2,740 ÷ 4) / (4,064 ÷ 4) =
685/1,016
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.
2,740/4,064 =
(22 × 5 × 137)/(25 × 127) =
((22 × 5 × 137) ÷ 22) / ((25 × 127) ÷ 22) =
(5 × 137)/(23 × 127) =
685/1,016
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
685/1,016 =
685 ÷ 1,016 =
0.674212598425 ≈
0.67