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:
6,666,625 = 5 × 5 × 5 × 7 × 19 × 401 = 53 × 7 × 19 × 401
6,666,625 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
39,999,925 = 5 × 5 × 7 × 7 × 32,653 = 52 × 72 × 32,653
39,999,925 is a composite number.
6,666,625/39,999,925 =
(6,666,625 ÷ 175) / (39,999,925 ÷ 175) =
38,095/228,571
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.
6,666,625/39,999,925 =
(53 × 7 × 19 × 401)/(52 × 72 × 32,653) =
((53 × 7 × 19 × 401) ÷ (52 × 7)) / ((52 × 72 × 32,653) ÷ (52 × 7)) =
(5 × 19 × 401)/(7 × 32,653) =
38,095/228,571
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
38,095/228,571 =
38,095 ÷ 228,571 =
0.166665937499 ≈
0.17