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:
72,262,803 = 3 × 23 × 281 × 3,727
72,262,803 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
299,999,997 = 3 × 3 × 3 × 11 × 73 × 101 × 137 = 33 × 11 × 73 × 101 × 137
299,999,997 is a composite number.
72,262,803/299,999,997 =
(72,262,803 ÷ 3) / (299,999,997 ÷ 3) =
24,087,601/99,999,999
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.
72,262,803/299,999,997 =
(3 × 23 × 281 × 3,727)/(33 × 11 × 73 × 101 × 137) =
((3 × 23 × 281 × 3,727) ÷ 3) / ((33 × 11 × 73 × 101 × 137) ÷ 3) =
(23 × 281 × 3,727)/(32 × 11 × 73 × 101 × 137) =
24,087,601/99,999,999
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
24,087,601/99,999,999 =
24,087,601 ÷ 99,999,999 =
0.240876012409 ≈
0.24