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:
90 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 5 = 2 × 32 × 5
90 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
500,000,076 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 3 × 907 × 15,313 = 22 × 32 × 907 × 15,313
500,000,076 is a composite number.
90/500,000,076 =
(90 ÷ 18) / (500,000,076 ÷ 18) =
5/27,777,782
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.
90/500,000,076 =
(2 × 32 × 5)/(22 × 32 × 907 × 15,313) =
((2 × 32 × 5) ÷ (2 × 32)) / ((22 × 32 × 907 × 15,313) ÷ (2 × 32)) =
5/(2 × 907 × 15,313) =
5/27,777,782
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
5/27,777,782 =
5 ÷ 27,777,782 =
0.00000018 ≈
0