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:
780,003 = 3 × 3 × 3 × 7 × 4,127 = 33 × 7 × 4,127
780,003 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
900,012 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 179 × 419 = 22 × 3 × 179 × 419
900,012 is a composite number.
780,003/900,012 =
(780,003 ÷ 3) / (900,012 ÷ 3) =
260,001/300,004
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.
780,003/900,012 =
(33 × 7 × 4,127)/(22 × 3 × 179 × 419) =
((33 × 7 × 4,127) ÷ 3) / ((22 × 3 × 179 × 419) ÷ 3) =
(32 × 7 × 4,127)/(22 × 179 × 419) =
260,001/300,004
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
260,001/300,004 =
260,001 ÷ 300,004 =
0.866658444554 ≈
0.87