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:
6,666,656 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 208,333 = 25 × 208,333
6,666,656 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
39,999,948 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 53 × 109 × 577 = 22 × 3 × 53 × 109 × 577
39,999,948 is a composite number.
6,666,656/39,999,948 =
(6,666,656 ÷ 4) / (39,999,948 ÷ 4) =
1,666,664/9,999,987
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.
6,666,656/39,999,948 =
(25 × 208,333)/(22 × 3 × 53 × 109 × 577) =
((25 × 208,333) ÷ 22) / ((22 × 3 × 53 × 109 × 577) ÷ 22) =
(23 × 208,333)/(3 × 53 × 109 × 577) =
1,666,664/9,999,987
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,666,664/9,999,987 =
1,666,664 ÷ 9,999,987 =
0.166666616667 ≈
0.17