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:
3 is a prime number, it cannot be factored (into other prime factors).
Written with exponents:
200,000,000,007 = 3 × 3 × 22,222,222,223 = 32 × 22,222,222,223
200,000,000,007 is a composite number.
3/200,000,000,007 =
(3 ÷ 3) / (200,000,000,007 ÷ 3) =
1/66,666,666,669
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.
3/200,000,000,007 =
3/(32 × 22,222,222,223) =
(3 ÷ 3) / ((32 × 22,222,222,223) ÷ 3) =
1/(3 × 22,222,222,223) =
1/66,666,666,669
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1/66,666,666,669 =
1 ÷ 66,666,666,669 =
0.000000000015 ≈
0