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:
46,292 = 2 × 2 × 71 × 163 = 22 × 71 × 163
46,292 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
111,100 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 5 × 11 × 101 = 22 × 52 × 11 × 101
111,100 is a composite number.
46,292/111,100 =
(46,292 ÷ 4) / (111,100 ÷ 4) =
11,573/27,775
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.
46,292/111,100 =
(22 × 71 × 163)/(22 × 52 × 11 × 101) =
((22 × 71 × 163) ÷ 22) / ((22 × 52 × 11 × 101) ÷ 22) =
(71 × 163)/(52 × 11 × 101) =
11,573/27,775
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
11,573/27,775 =
11,573 ÷ 27,775 =
0.416669666967 ≈
0.42