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:
72,262,784 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 11 × 17 × 3,019 = 27 × 11 × 17 × 3,019
72,262,784 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
299,999,996 = 2 × 2 × 37 × 157 × 12,911 = 22 × 37 × 157 × 12,911
299,999,996 is a composite number.
72,262,784/299,999,996 =
(72,262,784 ÷ 4) / (299,999,996 ÷ 4) =
18,065,696/74,999,999
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.
72,262,784/299,999,996 =
(27 × 11 × 17 × 3,019)/(22 × 37 × 157 × 12,911) =
((27 × 11 × 17 × 3,019) ÷ 22) / ((22 × 37 × 157 × 12,911) ÷ 22) =
(25 × 11 × 17 × 3,019)/(37 × 157 × 12,911) =
18,065,696/74,999,999
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
18,065,696/74,999,999 =
18,065,696 ÷ 74,999,999 =
0.240875949878 ≈
0.24