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:
5,272 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 659 = 23 × 659
5,272 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
59,994 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 11 × 101 = 2 × 33 × 11 × 101
59,994 is a composite number.
5,272/59,994 =
(5,272 ÷ 2) / (59,994 ÷ 2) =
2,636/29,997
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.
5,272/59,994 =
(23 × 659)/(2 × 33 × 11 × 101) =
((23 × 659) ÷ 2) / ((2 × 33 × 11 × 101) ÷ 2) =
(22 × 659)/(33 × 11 × 101) =
2,636/29,997
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
2,636/29,997 =
2,636 ÷ 29,997 =
0.087875454212 ≈
0.09