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:
7,758,682 = 2 × 23 × 151 × 1,117
7,758,682 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
14,062,588 = 2 × 2 × 47 × 131 × 571 = 22 × 47 × 131 × 571
14,062,588 is a composite number.
7,758,682/14,062,588 =
(7,758,682 ÷ 2) / (14,062,588 ÷ 2) =
3,879,341/7,031,294
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.
7,758,682/14,062,588 =
(2 × 23 × 151 × 1,117)/(22 × 47 × 131 × 571) =
((2 × 23 × 151 × 1,117) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 47 × 131 × 571) ÷ 2) =
(23 × 151 × 1,117)/(2 × 47 × 131 × 571) =
3,879,341/7,031,294
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
3,879,341/7,031,294 =
3,879,341 ÷ 7,031,294 =
0.551725045205 ≈
0.55