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:
5,274 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 293 = 2 × 32 × 293
5,274 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
59,980 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 2,999 = 22 × 5 × 2,999
59,980 is a composite number.
5,274/59,980 =
(5,274 ÷ 2) / (59,980 ÷ 2) =
2,637/29,990
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.
5,274/59,980 =
(2 × 32 × 293)/(22 × 5 × 2,999) =
((2 × 32 × 293) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 5 × 2,999) ÷ 2) =
(32 × 293)/(2 × 5 × 2,999) =
2,637/29,990
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
2,637/29,990 =
2,637 ÷ 29,990 =
0.08792930977 ≈
0.09