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:
6,666,676 = 2 × 2 × 179 × 9,311 = 22 × 179 × 9,311
6,666,676 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
39,999,968 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 1,249,999 = 25 × 1,249,999
39,999,968 is a composite number.
6,666,676/39,999,968 =
(6,666,676 ÷ 4) / (39,999,968 ÷ 4) =
1,666,669/9,999,992
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.
6,666,676/39,999,968 =
(22 × 179 × 9,311)/(25 × 1,249,999) =
((22 × 179 × 9,311) ÷ 22) / ((25 × 1,249,999) ÷ 22) =
(179 × 9,311)/(23 × 1,249,999) =
1,666,669/9,999,992
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,666,669/9,999,992 =
1,666,669 ÷ 9,999,992 =
0.166667033334 ≈
0.17