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:
8,999,991 = 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37 = 35 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37
8,999,991 is a composite number.
7,499,996/8,999,991 =
(7,499,996 ÷ 7) / (8,999,991 ÷ 7) =
1,071,428/1,285,713
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.
7,499,996/8,999,991 =
(22 × 7 × 267,857)/(35 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) =
((22 × 7 × 267,857) ÷ 7) / ((35 × 7 × 11 × 13 × 37) ÷ 7) =
(22 × 267,857)/(35 × 11 × 13 × 37) =
1,071,428/1,285,713
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
1,071,428/1,285,713 =
1,071,428 ÷ 1,285,713 =
0.833333722223 ≈
0.83