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:
7,340,076 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 53 × 3,847 = 22 × 32 × 53 × 3,847
7,340,076 is a composite number.
60,000,063 = 3 × 233 × 85,837
60,000,063 is a composite number.
7,340,076/60,000,063 =
(7,340,076 ÷ 3) / (60,000,063 ÷ 3) =
2,446,692/20,000,021
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.
7,340,076/60,000,063 =
(22 × 32 × 53 × 3,847)/(3 × 233 × 85,837) =
((22 × 32 × 53 × 3,847) ÷ 3) / ((3 × 233 × 85,837) ÷ 3) =
(22 × 3 × 53 × 3,847)/(233 × 85,837) =
2,446,692/20,000,021
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
2,446,692/20,000,021 =
2,446,692 ÷ 20,000,021 =
0.122334471549 ≈
0.12