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:
444,432 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 47 × 197 = 24 × 3 × 47 × 197
444,432 is a composite number.
499,983 = 3 × 11 × 109 × 139
499,983 is a composite number.
444,432/499,983 =
(444,432 ÷ 3) / (499,983 ÷ 3) =
148,144/166,661
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.
444,432/499,983 =
(24 × 3 × 47 × 197)/(3 × 11 × 109 × 139) =
((24 × 3 × 47 × 197) ÷ 3) / ((3 × 11 × 109 × 139) ÷ 3) =
(24 × 47 × 197)/(11 × 109 × 139) =
148,144/166,661
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
148,144/166,661 =
148,144 ÷ 166,661 =
0.888894222404 ≈
0.89