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:
650 = 2 × 5 × 5 × 13 = 2 × 52 × 13
650 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
5,004 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 139 = 22 × 32 × 139
5,004 is a composite number.
650/5,004 =
(650 ÷ 2) / (5,004 ÷ 2) =
325/2,502
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.
650/5,004 =
(2 × 52 × 13)/(22 × 32 × 139) =
((2 × 52 × 13) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 32 × 139) ÷ 2) =
(52 × 13)/(2 × 32 × 139) =
325/2,502
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
325/2,502 =
325 ÷ 2,502 =
0.129896083133 ≈
0.13