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:
2,857,134 = 2 × 3 × 7 × 59 × 1,153
2,857,134 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
19,999,988 = 2 × 2 × 43 × 116,279 = 22 × 43 × 116,279
19,999,988 is a composite number.
2,857,134/19,999,988 =
(2,857,134 ÷ 2) / (19,999,988 ÷ 2) =
1,428,567/9,999,994
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.
2,857,134/19,999,988 =
(2 × 3 × 7 × 59 × 1,153)/(22 × 43 × 116,279) =
((2 × 3 × 7 × 59 × 1,153) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 43 × 116,279) ÷ 2) =
(3 × 7 × 59 × 1,153)/(2 × 43 × 116,279) =
1,428,567/9,999,994
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,428,567/9,999,994 =
1,428,567 ÷ 9,999,994 =
0.142856785714 ≈
0.14