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:
8,785 = 5 × 7 × 251
8,785 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
75,075 = 3 × 5 × 5 × 7 × 11 × 13 = 3 × 52 × 7 × 11 × 13
75,075 is a composite number.
8,785/75,075 =
(8,785 ÷ 35) / (75,075 ÷ 35) =
251/2,145
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.
8,785/75,075 =
(5 × 7 × 251)/(3 × 52 × 7 × 11 × 13) =
((5 × 7 × 251) ÷ (5 × 7)) / ((3 × 52 × 7 × 11 × 13) ÷ (5 × 7)) =
251/(3 × 5 × 11 × 13) =
251/2,145
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
251/2,145 =
251 ÷ 2,145 =
0.117016317016 ≈
0.12