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:
3,535,527 = 3 × 239 × 4,931
3,535,527 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
5,000,013 = 3 × 3 × 555,557 = 32 × 555,557
5,000,013 is a composite number.
3,535,527/5,000,013 =
(3,535,527 ÷ 3) / (5,000,013 ÷ 3) =
1,178,509/1,666,671
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.
3,535,527/5,000,013 =
(3 × 239 × 4,931)/(32 × 555,557) =
((3 × 239 × 4,931) ÷ 3) / ((32 × 555,557) ÷ 3) =
(239 × 4,931)/(3 × 555,557) =
1,178,509/1,666,671
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,178,509/1,666,671 =
1,178,509 ÷ 1,666,671 =
0.707103561531 ≈
0.71