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:
32,296,252 = 2 × 2 × 1,879 × 4,297 = 22 × 1,879 × 4,297
32,296,252 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
400,000,004 = 2 × 2 × 17 × 5,882,353 = 22 × 17 × 5,882,353
400,000,004 is a composite number.
32,296,252/400,000,004 =
(32,296,252 ÷ 4) / (400,000,004 ÷ 4) =
8,074,063/100,000,001
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.
32,296,252/400,000,004 =
(22 × 1,879 × 4,297)/(22 × 17 × 5,882,353) =
((22 × 1,879 × 4,297) ÷ 22) / ((22 × 17 × 5,882,353) ÷ 22) =
(1,879 × 4,297)/(17 × 5,882,353) =
8,074,063/100,000,001
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
8,074,063/100,000,001 =
8,074,063 ÷ 100,000,001 =
0.080740629193 ≈
0.08