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:
71,498 = 2 × 7 × 5,107
71,498 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
450,056 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 101 × 557 = 23 × 101 × 557
450,056 is a composite number.
71,498/450,056 =
(71,498 ÷ 2) / (450,056 ÷ 2) =
35,749/225,028
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.
71,498/450,056 =
(2 × 7 × 5,107)/(23 × 101 × 557) =
((2 × 7 × 5,107) ÷ 2) / ((23 × 101 × 557) ÷ 2) =
(7 × 5,107)/(22 × 101 × 557) =
35,749/225,028
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
35,749/225,028 =
35,749 ÷ 225,028 =
0.158864674618 ≈
0.16