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:
8,027,670 = 2 × 3 × 5 × 7 × 7 × 43 × 127 = 2 × 3 × 5 × 72 × 43 × 127
8,027,670 is a composite number.
18,731,247 = 3 × 6,243,749
18,731,247 is a composite number.
8,027,670/18,731,247 =
(8,027,670 ÷ 3) / (18,731,247 ÷ 3) =
2,675,890/6,243,749
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.
8,027,670/18,731,247 =
(2 × 3 × 5 × 72 × 43 × 127)/(3 × 6,243,749) =
((2 × 3 × 5 × 72 × 43 × 127) ÷ 3) / ((3 × 6,243,749) ÷ 3) =
(2 × 5 × 72 × 43 × 127)/6,243,749 =
2,675,890/6,243,749
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
2,675,890/6,243,749 =
2,675,890 ÷ 6,243,749 =
0.428571039611 ≈
0.43