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:
5,499,224 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 687,403 = 23 × 687,403
5,499,224 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
45,454,516 = 2 × 2 × 61 × 311 × 599 = 22 × 61 × 311 × 599
45,454,516 is a composite number.
5,499,224/45,454,516 =
(5,499,224 ÷ 4) / (45,454,516 ÷ 4) =
1,374,806/11,363,629
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.
5,499,224/45,454,516 =
(23 × 687,403)/(22 × 61 × 311 × 599) =
((23 × 687,403) ÷ 22) / ((22 × 61 × 311 × 599) ÷ 22) =
(2 × 687,403)/(61 × 311 × 599) =
1,374,806/11,363,629
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,374,806/11,363,629 =
1,374,806 ÷ 11,363,629 =
0.120983006397 ≈
0.12