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:
3,994 = 2 × 1,997
3,994 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
32 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 25
32 is a composite number.
3,994/32 =
(3,994 ÷ 2) / (32 ÷ 2) =
1,997/16
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.
3,994/32 =
(2 × 1,997)/25 =
((2 × 1,997) ÷ 2) / (25 ÷ 2) =
1,997/24 =
1,997/16
1,997 ÷ 16 = 124 and the remainder = 13 ⇒
1,997 = 124 × 16 + 13 ⇒
1,997/16 =
(124 × 16 + 13) / 16 =
124 + 13/16 =
124 13/16
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
124 13/16 =
124 + 13/16 =
124 + 13 ÷ 16 =
124.8125 ≈
124.81