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:
561 = 3 × 11 × 17
561 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
29,999,997 = 3 × 3 × 3 × 239 × 4,649 = 33 × 239 × 4,649
29,999,997 is a composite number.
561/29,999,997 =
(561 ÷ 3) / (29,999,997 ÷ 3) =
187/9,999,999
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.
561/29,999,997 =
(3 × 11 × 17)/(33 × 239 × 4,649) =
((3 × 11 × 17) ÷ 3) / ((33 × 239 × 4,649) ÷ 3) =
(11 × 17)/(32 × 239 × 4,649) =
187/9,999,999
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
187/9,999,999 =
187 ÷ 9,999,999 =
0.000018700002 ≈
0