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:
6,666,639 = 3 × 7 × 317,459
6,666,639 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.
6,666,639/39,999,925 =
(6,666,639 ÷ 7) / (39,999,925 ÷ 7) =
952,377/5,714,275
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.
6,666,639/39,999,925 =
(3 × 7 × 317,459)/(52 × 72 × 32,653) =
((3 × 7 × 317,459) ÷ 7) / ((52 × 72 × 32,653) ÷ 7) =
(3 × 317,459)/(52 × 7 × 32,653) =
952,377/5,714,275
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
952,377/5,714,275 =
952,377 ÷ 5,714,275 =
0.166666287499 ≈
0.17