Section 1: Prime Factorization
Every natural number can be written as a product of prime numbers. For example,
When the product is written with exponents instead of writing out repeated multiplication, we say we have factored the original number into "prime powers."
Factor each of the numerator and denominator into a product of prime powers. Then use the product and quotient rules for exponential expressions to reduce the fraction. Keep everything expressed as a product of prime powers or a ratio of those products.