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:
692,820,324 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 7 × 29 × 31,601 = 22 × 33 × 7 × 29 × 31,601
692,820,324 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
800,000,000 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 = 211 × 58
800,000,000 is a composite number.
692,820,324/800,000,000 =
(692,820,324 ÷ 4) / (800,000,000 ÷ 4) =
173,205,081/200,000,000
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.
692,820,324/800,000,000 =
(22 × 33 × 7 × 29 × 31,601)/(211 × 58) =
((22 × 33 × 7 × 29 × 31,601) ÷ 22) / ((211 × 58) ÷ 22) =
(33 × 7 × 29 × 31,601)/(29 × 58) =
173,205,081/200,000,000
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
173,205,081/200,000,000 =
173,205,081 ÷ 200,000,000 =
0.866025405 ≈
0.87