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:
7,500,009 = 3 × 11 × 17 × 29 × 461
7,500,009 is a composite number.
8,999,994 = 2 × 3 × 211 × 7,109
8,999,994 is a composite number.
7,500,009/8,999,994 =
(7,500,009 ÷ 3) / (8,999,994 ÷ 3) =
2,500,003/2,999,998
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.
7,500,009/8,999,994 =
(3 × 11 × 17 × 29 × 461)/(2 × 3 × 211 × 7,109) =
((3 × 11 × 17 × 29 × 461) ÷ 3) / ((2 × 3 × 211 × 7,109) ÷ 3) =
(11 × 17 × 29 × 461)/(2 × 211 × 7,109) =
2,500,003/2,999,998
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
2,500,003/2,999,998 =
2,500,003 ÷ 2,999,998 =
0.83333488889 ≈
0.83