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:
78,140 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 3,907 = 22 × 5 × 3,907
78,140 is a composite number.
500,015 = 5 × 100,003
500,015 is a composite number.
78,140/500,015 =
(78,140 ÷ 5) / (500,015 ÷ 5) =
15,628/100,003
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.
78,140/500,015 =
(22 × 5 × 3,907)/(5 × 100,003) =
((22 × 5 × 3,907) ÷ 5) / ((5 × 100,003) ÷ 5) =
(22 × 3,907)/100,003 =
15,628/100,003
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
15,628/100,003 =
15,628 ÷ 100,003 =
0.156275311741 ≈
0.16