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:
6,666,709 = 7 × 419 × 2,273
6,666,709 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.
6,666,709/39,999,960 =
(6,666,709 ÷ 7) / (39,999,960 ÷ 7) =
952,387/5,714,280
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.
6,666,709/39,999,960 =
(7 × 419 × 2,273)/(23 × 33 × 5 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) =
((7 × 419 × 2,273) ÷ 7) / ((23 × 33 × 5 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) ÷ 7) =
(419 × 2,273)/(23 × 33 × 5 × 11 × 13 × 37) =
952,387/5,714,280
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
952,387/5,714,280 =
952,387 ÷ 5,714,280 =
0.166667891668 ≈
0.17