Changing the denominator to a power of 10 or utilising the long division technique can be used to convert a number stated in the form of p/q into decimal form,where p and q are both whole numbers and q is not zero. We’ll look at many strategies for converting fractions to decimals in this post.
Fraction to Decimal Conversion
The numerator and denominator of any dividing fractions representing numerically are split into two parts. To convert a fraction to decimal form, we divide the numerator by the denominator. The unit of measurement is q0, and fractions are expressed as p/q. Decimal numbers, on the other hand, are made up of the whole number and fractional components joined by a decimal point, as in 7.575. Let’s look at some more examples to help you understand how to convert fractions to decimals.
Converting Fractions to Decimals
Here’s a real-life example of how to convert fractions to decimals. Emma divides the cardboard into 12 equal parts using her scissors. On each piece of cardboard, she painted different coloured flowers. She divided the 12 squares into 5 equal halves for red flowers, 3 for green flowers, and 4 for orange flowers. Let’s write the fractional and decimal portions given to each flower colour.
- Red flowers embellish the 5/12 or 0.4166 area of the cardboard.
- Green flowers are painted on the 3/12 or 0.25 part of the cardboard.
- Orange flowers are also used to embellish the 4/12 or 0.333 part of the cardboard.
To convert fractions to decimals, use the long division method.
The long division method is used to convert a number in fraction form, such as p/q, to decimal form. The numerator is divided by the denominator in this example. Let’s look at the steps involved in converting a fraction to a decimal using the long division method with the help of an example.
Calculate 4/19’s decimal equivalent.
- Step 1: In the supplied fraction 4/19, consider the numerator 4 as a dividend and the denominator 19 as the divisor. The denominator is bigger than the numerator in this case.
- Step 2: We may make the dividend digit (4) greater than the numerator digit by adding a 0 to 4 and the quotient (19). We now have a new 40-cent dividend. (40>19)
- Step 3: Enter a decimal (.) after the 0 in the quotient part and start dividing.
- Step 4: Take 19 and multiply it by a value that is less than or equal to 40. 19 divided by 2 equals 38, as we know. The remainder is two, and the digit in the quotient is also two. After adding decimal in the quotient, we may enter one 0 at each level of division.
- Step 5: The revised dividend amount is now $20. To produce a value that is less than or equal to 20, multiply 19 by a number. 19 divided by 1 equals 19. The remainder is 1 and the quotient’s new digit is 1, making the result 0.21.
- Step 6: Continue until the residual is 0 or the quotient contains three decimal places.
To convert a fraction to a decimal, change the denominator.
Changing the denominator to powers of ten, such as 10, 100, 1000, and so on, is another approach to convert a fraction to a decimal. Using the converting the denominator strategy, the methods below show how to convert fractions to decimals.
For example, convert 7/8 to decimals.
Step 1: To get a power of ten in the denominator, we must first come up with a number to multiply the denominator and numerator by.
Step 2: In this situation, the denominator is 8. 8 times 125 = 1000.
Step 3: Multiply both the numerator and denominator by the same number, in this case 125.
Step 4: Multiply the numerator of the fraction by 125 to get 7 125 = 875
Step 5: After completing the multiplication process, we now have a denominator in terms of the power of ten, i.e. 875/1000.
Step 6: Before the number of places equal to zeros in the denominator, add a decimal point. Because the denominator includes three zeros, we add the decimal point before three places counting from the right side. As a consequence, 875/1000 = 0.875 is obtained.
Only fractions with a denominator that can be multiplied by a number to obtain a power of ten can use this method. It is usually better to utilise the right concept advice when the denominator cannot be stated as a power of ten, such as 2/3. Enroll in Cuemath lessons to discover the most efficient method for solving these equations.
