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:
85,714,274 = 2 × 37 × 1,158,301
85,714,274 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
199,999,984 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 12,499,999 = 24 × 12,499,999
199,999,984 is a composite number.
85,714,274/199,999,984 =
(85,714,274 ÷ 2) / (199,999,984 ÷ 2) =
42,857,137/99,999,992
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.
85,714,274/199,999,984 =
(2 × 37 × 1,158,301)/(24 × 12,499,999) =
((2 × 37 × 1,158,301) ÷ 2) / ((24 × 12,499,999) ÷ 2) =
(37 × 1,158,301)/(23 × 12,499,999) =
42,857,137/99,999,992
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
42,857,137/99,999,992 =
42,857,137 ÷ 99,999,992 =
0.428571404286 ≈
0.43