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:
4,620 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 5 × 7 × 11 = 22 × 3 × 5 × 7 × 11
4,620 is a composite number.
123,753 = 3 × 7 × 71 × 83
123,753 is a composite number.
4,620/123,753 =
(4,620 ÷ 21) / (123,753 ÷ 21) =
220/5,893
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.
4,620/123,753 =
(22 × 3 × 5 × 7 × 11)/(3 × 7 × 71 × 83) =
((22 × 3 × 5 × 7 × 11) ÷ (3 × 7)) / ((3 × 7 × 71 × 83) ÷ (3 × 7)) =
(22 × 5 × 11)/(71 × 83) =
220/5,893
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
220/5,893 =
220 ÷ 5,893 =
0.037332428305 ≈
0.04