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:
5,499,246 = 2 × 3 × 19 × 48,239
5,499,246 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
45,454,532 = 2 × 2 × 17 × 23 × 29,063 = 22 × 17 × 23 × 29,063
45,454,532 is a composite number.
5,499,246/45,454,532 =
(5,499,246 ÷ 2) / (45,454,532 ÷ 2) =
2,749,623/22,727,266
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.
5,499,246/45,454,532 =
(2 × 3 × 19 × 48,239)/(22 × 17 × 23 × 29,063) =
((2 × 3 × 19 × 48,239) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 17 × 23 × 29,063) ÷ 2) =
(3 × 19 × 48,239)/(2 × 17 × 23 × 29,063) =
2,749,623/22,727,266
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
2,749,623/22,727,266 =
2,749,623 ÷ 22,727,266 =
0.120983447811 ≈
0.12