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:
750 = 2 × 3 × 5 × 5 × 5 = 2 × 3 × 53
750 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
11,988 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 37 = 22 × 34 × 37
11,988 is a composite number.
750/11,988 =
(750 ÷ 6) / (11,988 ÷ 6) =
125/1,998
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.
750/11,988 =
(2 × 3 × 53)/(22 × 34 × 37) =
((2 × 3 × 53) ÷ (2 × 3)) / ((22 × 34 × 37) ÷ (2 × 3)) =
53/(2 × 33 × 37) =
125/1,998
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
125/1,998 =
125 ÷ 1,998 =
0.062562562563 ≈
0.06