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:
6,666,714 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 370,373 = 2 × 32 × 370,373
6,666,714 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
39,999,964 = 2 × 2 × 9,999,991 = 22 × 9,999,991
39,999,964 is a composite number.
6,666,714/39,999,964 =
(6,666,714 ÷ 2) / (39,999,964 ÷ 2) =
3,333,357/19,999,982
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.
6,666,714/39,999,964 =
(2 × 32 × 370,373)/(22 × 9,999,991) =
((2 × 32 × 370,373) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 9,999,991) ÷ 2) =
(32 × 370,373)/(2 × 9,999,991) =
3,333,357/19,999,982
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
3,333,357/19,999,982 =
3,333,357 ÷ 19,999,982 =
0.166668000001 ≈
0.17