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:
3,846,144 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 313 = 212 × 3 × 313
3,846,144 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
49,999,988 = 2 × 2 × 53 × 235,849 = 22 × 53 × 235,849
49,999,988 is a composite number.
3,846,144/49,999,988 =
(3,846,144 ÷ 4) / (49,999,988 ÷ 4) =
961,536/12,499,997
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.
3,846,144/49,999,988 =
(212 × 3 × 313)/(22 × 53 × 235,849) =
((212 × 3 × 313) ÷ 22) / ((22 × 53 × 235,849) ÷ 22) =
(210 × 3 × 313)/(53 × 235,849) =
961,536/12,499,997
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
961,536/12,499,997 =
961,536 ÷ 12,499,997 =
0.076922898461 ≈
0.08