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:
6,666,696 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 92,593 = 23 × 32 × 92,593
6,666,696 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
39,999,960 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 5 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37 = 23 × 33 × 5 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37
39,999,960 is a composite number.
6,666,696/39,999,960 =
(6,666,696 ÷ 72) / (39,999,960 ÷ 72) =
92,593/555,555
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.
6,666,696/39,999,960 =
(23 × 32 × 92,593)/(23 × 33 × 5 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) =
((23 × 32 × 92,593) ÷ (23 × 32)) / ((23 × 33 × 5 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) ÷ (23 × 32)) =
92,593/(3 × 5 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) =
92,593/555,555
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
92,593/555,555 =
92,593 ÷ 555,555 =
0.166667566668 ≈
0.17