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:
7,499,996 = 2 × 2 × 7 × 267,857 = 22 × 7 × 267,857
7,499,996 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
8,999,984 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 7 × 107 × 751 = 24 × 7 × 107 × 751
8,999,984 is a composite number.
7,499,996/8,999,984 =
(7,499,996 ÷ 28) / (8,999,984 ÷ 28) =
267,857/321,428
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.
7,499,996/8,999,984 =
(22 × 7 × 267,857)/(24 × 7 × 107 × 751) =
((22 × 7 × 267,857) ÷ (22 × 7)) / ((24 × 7 × 107 × 751) ÷ (22 × 7)) =
267,857/(22 × 107 × 751) =
267,857/321,428
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
267,857/321,428 =
267,857 ÷ 321,428 =
0.833334370372 ≈
0.83