DECIMALS
Review of Introductory Mathematics
Decimal to Fraction Conversion
The process of decimal to fraction conversion involves the use of the fundamental rule of
fractions; the fraction should be written in its lowest terms. The following examples demonstrate
how to convert decimals to fractions.
Example 1:
Convert 0.65 to a fraction.
Solution:
Step 1:
Note the number of place positions to the right of the decimal point. In
this example, 0.65 is 65 hundredths, which is two places to the right of the
decimal point.
65
100
Step 2:
Although we have now converted the decimal into a fraction, the fraction
is not in its lowest terms. To reduce the new fraction into its lowest or
simplest terms, both the numerator and the denominator must be broken
down into primes.
65
100
5
13
5
20
5
13
5
4
5
5
13
5
2
2
5
Note that we can cancel one set of 5s, because
= 1.
5
5
This gives
65
100
13
20
and this is the simplest form of this fraction.
Example 2:
Convert 18.82 to a mixed number.
MA-01
Page 40
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