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:
5,689,584 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 39,511 = 24 × 32 × 39,511
5,689,584 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
12,499,999,992 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 79 × 2,197,609 = 23 × 32 × 79 × 2,197,609
12,499,999,992 is a composite number.
5,689,584/12,499,999,992 =
(5,689,584 ÷ 72) / (12,499,999,992 ÷ 72) =
79,022/173,611,111
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.
5,689,584/12,499,999,992 =
(24 × 32 × 39,511)/(23 × 32 × 79 × 2,197,609) =
((24 × 32 × 39,511) ÷ (23 × 32)) / ((23 × 32 × 79 × 2,197,609) ÷ (23 × 32)) =
(2 × 39,511)/(79 × 2,197,609) =
79,022/173,611,111
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
79,022/173,611,111 =
79,022 ÷ 173,611,111 =
0.00045516672 ≈
0