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:
2,799,987 = 3 × 933,329
2,799,987 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
11,999,988 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37 = 22 × 34 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37
11,999,988 is a composite number.
2,799,987/11,999,988 =
(2,799,987 ÷ 3) / (11,999,988 ÷ 3) =
933,329/3,999,996
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.
2,799,987/11,999,988 =
(3 × 933,329)/(22 × 34 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) =
((3 × 933,329) ÷ 3) / ((22 × 34 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) ÷ 3) =
933,329/(22 × 33 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) =
933,329/3,999,996
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
933,329/3,999,996 =
933,329 ÷ 3,999,996 =
0.233332483332 ≈
0.23