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:
625,058 = 2 × 7 × 44,647
625,058 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
3,999,978 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 359 × 619 = 2 × 32 × 359 × 619
3,999,978 is a composite number.
625,058/3,999,978 =
(625,058 ÷ 2) / (3,999,978 ÷ 2) =
312,529/1,999,989
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.
625,058/3,999,978 =
(2 × 7 × 44,647)/(2 × 32 × 359 × 619) =
((2 × 7 × 44,647) ÷ 2) / ((2 × 32 × 359 × 619) ÷ 2) =
(7 × 44,647)/(32 × 359 × 619) =
312,529/1,999,989
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
312,529/1,999,989 =
312,529 ÷ 1,999,989 =
0.156265359459 ≈
0.16