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:
98,646 = 2 × 3 × 41 × 401
98,646 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
2,999,996 = 2 × 2 × 443 × 1,693 = 22 × 443 × 1,693
2,999,996 is a composite number.
98,646/2,999,996 =
(98,646 ÷ 2) / (2,999,996 ÷ 2) =
49,323/1,499,998
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.
98,646/2,999,996 =
(2 × 3 × 41 × 401)/(22 × 443 × 1,693) =
((2 × 3 × 41 × 401) ÷ 2) / ((22 × 443 × 1,693) ÷ 2) =
(3 × 41 × 401)/(2 × 443 × 1,693) =
49,323/1,499,998
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
49,323/1,499,998 =
49,323 ÷ 1,499,998 =
0.032882043843 ≈
0.03