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:
4,998 = 2 × 3 × 7 × 7 × 17 = 2 × 3 × 72 × 17
4,998 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
99,999,975 = 3 × 5 × 5 × 23 × 29 × 1,999 = 3 × 52 × 23 × 29 × 1,999
99,999,975 is a composite number.
4,998/99,999,975 =
(4,998 ÷ 3) / (99,999,975 ÷ 3) =
1,666/33,333,325
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.
4,998/99,999,975 =
(2 × 3 × 72 × 17)/(3 × 52 × 23 × 29 × 1,999) =
((2 × 3 × 72 × 17) ÷ 3) / ((3 × 52 × 23 × 29 × 1,999) ÷ 3) =
(2 × 72 × 17)/(52 × 23 × 29 × 1,999) =
1,666/33,333,325
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,666/33,333,325 =
1,666 ÷ 33,333,325 =
0.000049980012 ≈
0