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:
3,535,550 = 2 × 5 × 5 × 31 × 2,281 = 2 × 52 × 31 × 2,281
3,535,550 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
5,000,022 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 92,593 = 2 × 33 × 92,593
5,000,022 is a composite number.
3,535,550/5,000,022 =
(3,535,550 ÷ 2) / (5,000,022 ÷ 2) =
1,767,775/2,500,011
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.
3,535,550/5,000,022 =
(2 × 52 × 31 × 2,281)/(2 × 33 × 92,593) =
((2 × 52 × 31 × 2,281) ÷ 2) / ((2 × 33 × 92,593) ÷ 2) =
(52 × 31 × 2,281)/(33 × 92,593) =
1,767,775/2,500,011
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,767,775/2,500,011 =
1,767,775 ÷ 2,500,011 =
0.70710688873 ≈
0.71