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Fractions into decimals -- A complete course in arithmetic

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ARITHMETIC
Table of Contents | Home | Introduction
197

Lesson 24

FRACTIONS
INTO DECIMALS

In this Lesson, we will answer the following:

1. What is a decimal fraction?
2. If the denominator is not a power of 10, how can we change the fraction to a decimal?
Frequent decimals and percents: Half, quarters, eighths, fifths.
Section 2
3. What is a general method for expressing a fraction as decimal?
Exact versus inexact decimals.
1. What is a decimal fraction?

It is a fraction whose denominator we do not write but we understand to be a power of 10.

The number of decimal digits to the right of the decimal point, indicates the number of zeros
in the denominator.

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Fractions into decimals -- A complete course in arithmetic

For the vocabulary of decimals, see Lesson 3.

Example 1.
.8 =

8
10

One decimal digit; one 0 in the denominator.

.08 =

8
100

Two decimal digits; two 0's in the denominator.

.008 =

8
1000

Three decimal digits; three 0's in the denominator.

And so on.
The number of decimal digits indicates the power of 10.

Example 2.

Write as a decimal:

614
100,000

614
= .00614
100,000

Answer.

Five 0's in the denominator indicate five digits after the decimal point.
The five 0's in the denominator is not the number of 0's in the decimal
Alternatively, in Lesson 10 we introduced the division bar, and in Lesson 4 we saw how to divide
a whole number by a power of 10.
614
= 614 100,000 = .00614
100,000
Starting at the right of 614, separate five decimal digits.
Example 3.

49
100

Write this mixed number as a decimal: 6

49
Answer. 6 100 = 6.49

The whole number 6 does not change. We simply replace the

common fraction

49
with the decimal .49.
100

Example 4. Write this mixed number with a common fraction: 9.0012

Answer. 9.0012 = 9 12

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Fractions into decimals -- A complete course in arithmetic

Answer. 9.0012 = 9 12
10,000
Again, the whole number does not change. We replace the decimal
.0012 with the common fraction

12
. The decimal .0012 has four
10,000

decimal digits. The denominator 10,000 has four 0's.

This accounts for fractions whose denominator is already a power of 10.

2. If the denominator is not a power of 10, how can we change the fraction to a decimal?

Make the denominator a power of 10 by multiplying it or dividing it.

Example 5. Write

9
as a decimal.
25

Solution. 25 is not a power of 10, but we can easily make it a power of 10 -- we can make it
100 -- by multiplying it by 4. We must also, then, multiply the numerator by 4.

Example 6. Write
Solution.

4
as a decimal.
5

4
8
=
= .8
5 10

We can make 5 into 10 by multiplying it -- and 4 -- by 2.

Example 7. Write as a decimal:

Answer.

7
200

7
35
=
= .035
200 1000

We can make 200 into 1000 by multiplying it -- and 7 -- by 5.

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Fractions into decimals -- A complete course in arithmetic

Alternatively,
7
3.5
=
, on dividing both terms by 2,
200
100
= .035, on dividing 3.5 by 100.

Example 8. Write as a decimal:

Answer.

8
200

8
4
=
= .04
200 100

Here, we can change 200 into a power of 10 by dividing it by 2. We can do this because 8 also
is divisible by 2.
Or, again,
8
_8_
4
=
=
= .04
200
2 100
100
Example 9. Write as a decimal:
Answer.

12
400

12
3
=
= .03
400
100

We can change 400 to 100 by dividing it -- and 12 -- by 4.

To summarize: We go from a larger denominator to a smaller by dividing (Examples 8 and 9);
from a smaller denominator to a larger by multiplying (Example 5).
Example 10. Express 11 20 as a decimal.
Solution. Upon using the division bar:
11
55
=
20 100 = .55
We made 20 into 100 by multiply it by 5. We therefore had to multiply 11 by 5 also.
Example 11.
a) We know that 5% is 5 out of 100 (Lesson 4). .5%, then, is 5 out of how many?
Answer. We can change .5% into the decimal .005 (Lesson 4), which in
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turn is equal to the fraction 5 .

1000
.5% =

5
.
1000

Therefore, .5% is 5 out of 1000.

b) .05% is 5 out of how many?
Answer. .05% = .0005 =

5
. Therefore, .05% is 5 out of 10,000.
10,000

Compare Lesson 18, Example 7.

Frequent decimals
In the actual practice of arithmetic, changing a fraction to a decimal is an extremely rare event.
(We change a fraction to a percent directly: Lesson 27, Question 3.) The following are the only
fractions whose decimal equivalents come up with any frequency. The student should know them.
1
2

1
4

3
4

1
8

3
8

5
8

7
8

1
Let us begin with .
2
1
5
=
= .5 or .50.
2
10
Next,

1
1
1
. But is half of .
4
4
2

Therefore, its decimal will be half of .50 -1

4 = .25
Since

3
1
= 3 , then
4
4
3
= 3 .25 = .75
4

Next,

1
8

. But

1
is half of .
8
4

1
3

2
3

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Fractions into decimals -- A complete course in arithmetic

Therefore, its decimal will be half of .25 or .250 -1

= .125
8
The decimals for the rest of the eighths will be multiples of .125.
Since 3 125 = 375,
3
= 3 .125 = .375
8
Similarly,

5
1
will be 5 = 5 .125.
8
8

5 125 = 5 100 + 5 25 = 500 + 125 = 625.

(Lesson 9) Therefore,
5
= .625
8
Finally,

7
= 7 .125.
8

7 125 = 7 100 + 7 25 = 700 + 175 = 875.

Therefore,
7
= .875
8
These decimals come up frequently. The student should know how to generate them quickly.
The student should also know the decimals for the fifths:
1
2
=
= .2
5
10
The rest will be the multiples of .2 -2
1
= 2 = 2 .2 = .4
5
5
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Fractions into decimals -- A complete course in arithmetic

3
= 3 .2 = .6
5
4
= 4 .2 = .8
5
Example 12. Write as a decimal: 8

3
4

3
Answer. 8 = 8.75
4
The whole number does not change. Simply replace the common
3
fraction with the decimal .75.
4
Example 13. Write as a decimal:

7
2

Answer. First change an improper fraction to a mixed number:

7
1
= 3 = 3.5
2
2
"2 goes into 7 three (3) times (6) with 1 left over."
Then repalce
Example 14.

1
with .5.
2

How many times is .25 contained in 3?

1
1
Answer. .25 = . And is contained in 1 four times. (Lesson 21.)
4
4
1
Therefore, , or .25, will be contained in 3 three times as many times. It will
4
be contained 3 4 = 12 times.

Example 15. How many times is .125 contained in 5?

1
1
1
Answer. .125 = . And is contained in 1 eight times. Therefore, ,
8
8
8
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Fractions into decimals -- A complete course in arithmetic

or .125, will be contained in 5 five times as many times. It will be contained 5 8 = 40 times.
As for

1
2
and , neither one be expressed exactly as a decimal.
3
3

However,
1
3

.333

2
3

.667

and

See Section 2, Question 3.

Frequent percents
From the decimal equivalent of a fraction, we can easily derive the percent: Move the decimal
point two digits right. Again, the student should know these. They come up frequently.
1
= .50
2
1
4

Search=

= 50%

.25 YouTube
= 25%Free Downloader

3
= .75
4

= 75%

1
1
= .125 = 12.5% (Half of
.)
8
4
3
= .375 = 37.5%. See above.
8
5
8 = .625 = 62.5%
7
= .875 = 87.5%
8
1
= .2
5

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= 20%

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Fractions into decimals -- A complete course in arithmetic

2 = .4
5

= 40%

3
= .6
5

= 60%

4
= .8
5

= 80%

In addition, the student should know

1
1
= 33 %
3
3
2
2
= 66 %
3
3
(Lesson 16)

At this point, please "turn" the page and do some Problems.

or
Continue on to the next Section.

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