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:
36,147,354 = 2 × 3 × 131 × 45,989
36,147,354 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
399,999,992 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 7 × 23 × 310,559 = 23 × 7 × 23 × 310,559
399,999,992 is a composite number.
36,147,354/399,999,992 =
(36,147,354 ÷ 2) / (399,999,992 ÷ 2) =
18,073,677/199,999,996
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.
36,147,354/399,999,992 =
(2 × 3 × 131 × 45,989)/(23 × 7 × 23 × 310,559) =
((2 × 3 × 131 × 45,989) ÷ 2) / ((23 × 7 × 23 × 310,559) ÷ 2) =
(3 × 131 × 45,989)/(22 × 7 × 23 × 310,559) =
18,073,677/199,999,996
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
18,073,677/199,999,996 =
18,073,677 ÷ 199,999,996 =
0.090368386807 ≈
0.09