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:
60,000,020 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 853 × 3,517 = 22 × 5 × 853 × 3,517
60,000,020 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
139,999,986 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 7 × 239 × 4,649 = 2 × 32 × 7 × 239 × 4,649
139,999,986 is a composite number.
60,000,020/139,999,986 =
(60,000,020 ÷ 2) / (139,999,986 ÷ 2) =
30,000,010/69,999,993
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.
60,000,020/139,999,986 =
(22 × 5 × 853 × 3,517)/(2 × 32 × 7 × 239 × 4,649) =
((22 × 5 × 853 × 3,517) ÷ 2) / ((2 × 32 × 7 × 239 × 4,649) ÷ 2) =
(2 × 5 × 853 × 3,517)/(32 × 7 × 239 × 4,649) =
30,000,010/69,999,993
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
30,000,010/69,999,993 =
30,000,010 ÷ 69,999,993 =
0.428571614286 ≈
0.43