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:
5,260 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 263 = 22 × 5 × 263
5,260 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
59,980 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 2,999 = 22 × 5 × 2,999
59,980 is a composite number.
5,260/59,980 =
(5,260 ÷ 20) / (59,980 ÷ 20) =
263/2,999
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.
5,260/59,980 =
(22 × 5 × 263)/(22 × 5 × 2,999) =
((22 × 5 × 263) ÷ (22 × 5)) / ((22 × 5 × 2,999) ÷ (22 × 5)) =
263/2,999 =
263/2,999
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
263/2,999 =
263 ÷ 2,999 =
0.087695898633 ≈
0.09