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:
8,484,870 = 2 × 3 × 5 × 17 × 127 × 131
8,484,870 is a composite number.
70,000,018 = 2 × 11 × 109 × 29,191
70,000,018 is a composite number.
8,484,870/70,000,018 =
(8,484,870 ÷ 2) / (70,000,018 ÷ 2) =
4,242,435/35,000,009
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.
8,484,870/70,000,018 =
(2 × 3 × 5 × 17 × 127 × 131)/(2 × 11 × 109 × 29,191) =
((2 × 3 × 5 × 17 × 127 × 131) ÷ 2) / ((2 × 11 × 109 × 29,191) ÷ 2) =
(3 × 5 × 17 × 127 × 131)/(11 × 109 × 29,191) =
4,242,435/35,000,009
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
4,242,435/35,000,009 =
4,242,435 ÷ 35,000,009 =
0.121212397403 ≈
0.12