Detailed calculations and explanations, below
A common ordinary fraction is made up of
two integer numbers and a fraction bar:
7,207,207,234/20,000,000,012
- The integer number above the bar is called numerator: 7,207,207,234
- The integer number below the bar is called denominator: 20,000,000,012
- The fraction bar means that the numerator is divided by the denominator.
- To get the fraction's value divide the numerator by the denominator:
The value = 7,207,207,234 ÷ 20,000,000,012
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:
7,207,207,234 = 2 × 3,603,603,617
7,207,207,234 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
20,000,000,012 = 2 × 2 × 149 × 33,557,047 = 22 × 149 × 33,557,047
20,000,000,012 is a composite number.
7,207,207,234/20,000,000,012 =
(7,207,207,234 ÷ 2) / (20,000,000,012 ÷ 2) =
3,603,603,617/10,000,000,006
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.
7,207,207,234/20,000,000,012 =
(2 × 3,603,603,617)/(22 × 149 × 33,557,047) =
((2 × 3,603,603,617) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 149 × 33,557,047) ÷ 2) =
3,603,603,617/(2 × 149 × 33,557,047) =
3,603,603,617/10,000,000,006
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
3,603,603,617/10,000,000,006 =
3,603,603,617 ÷ 10,000,000,006 =
0.360360361484 ≈
0.36