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:
7,500,014 = 2 × 71 × 52,817
7,500,014 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
8,999,996 = 2 × 2 × 19 × 79 × 1,499 = 22 × 19 × 79 × 1,499
8,999,996 is a composite number.
7,500,014/8,999,996 =
(7,500,014 ÷ 2) / (8,999,996 ÷ 2) =
3,750,007/4,499,998
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.
7,500,014/8,999,996 =
(2 × 71 × 52,817)/(22 × 19 × 79 × 1,499) =
((2 × 71 × 52,817) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 19 × 79 × 1,499) ÷ 2) =
(71 × 52,817)/(2 × 19 × 79 × 1,499) =
3,750,007/4,499,998
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
3,750,007/4,499,998 =
3,750,007 ÷ 4,499,998 =
0.83333525926 ≈
0.83