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:
988 = 2 × 2 × 13 × 19 = 22 × 13 × 19
988 is a composite number.
Written with exponents:
238,100 = 2 × 2 × 5 × 5 × 2,381 = 22 × 52 × 2,381
238,100 is a composite number.
988/238,100 =
(988 ÷ 4) / (238,100 ÷ 4) =
247/59,525
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.
988/238,100 =
(22 × 13 × 19)/(22 × 52 × 2,381) =
((22 × 13 × 19) ÷ 22) / ((22 × 52 × 2,381) ÷ 22) =
(13 × 19)/(52 × 2,381) =
247/59,525
As a decimal number:
Simply divide the numerator by the denominator, without a remainder, as shown below:
247/59,525 =
247 ÷ 59,525 =
0.00414951701 ≈
0