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:
342,572 = 2 × 2 × 85,643 = 22 × 85,643
342,572 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
599,440 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 5 × 59 × 127 = 24 × 5 × 59 × 127
599,440 is a composite number.
342,572/599,440 =
(342,572 ÷ 4) / (599,440 ÷ 4) =
85,643/149,860
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.
342,572/599,440 =
(22 × 85,643)/(24 × 5 × 59 × 127) =
((22 × 85,643) ÷ 22) / ((24 × 5 × 59 × 127) ÷ 22) =
85,643/(22 × 5 × 59 × 127) =
85,643/149,860
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
85,643/149,860 =
85,643 ÷ 149,860 =
0.57148672094 ≈
0.57