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Last updated on March 3rd, 2025
It is a simple question on decimal conversion. Firstly, we have to learn fractions and decimals. A fraction represents a part of the whole. It has two parts: the numerator (number on the top) here, 5, represents how many parts out of the whole. The denominator (number below) shows how many parts make the whole, here it is 15. A decimal is a way to represent a number that is not whole, using a (.) or a decimal point to separate the whole part from the fractional part. The numbers to the left of the decimal point represent the whole, and those to the right represent the fractional part.
5/15 in decimals can be simplified to 0.33333… It is a recurring decimal, indicating it will repeat the same digit infinitely.
To convert 5/15 to a decimal, we will simplify the fraction first. The greatest common divisor of 5 and 15 is 5. Dividing both the numerator and the denominator by 5, we get 1/3. Next, we convert 1/3 to a decimal using long division. Since 1 is smaller than 3, we will use the decimal method, which will result in 0.3333. Let's see the step-by-step breakdown of the process:
Step 1: Identify the numerator and denominator because the numerator (1) will be taken as the dividend and the denominator (3) as the divisor.
Step 2: As 1 is smaller than 3, it can't be divided. Here we will take the help of decimals. We will add 0 to the dividend, which will make 1 as 10 and add a decimal point in the quotient place.
Step 3: Now that it is 10, we can divide it by 3. Let's see how many times 3 fits into 10.
Step 4: 10 is not a multiple of 3, so we will look for the nearest number, which is 3 × 3 = 9. We will write 3 in the quotient place and subtract 9 from 10, leaving 1.
Step 5: Bring down another 0 in the dividend place to make 1 as 10 and then repeat the division process. The division process continues, and we don't get the remainder as 0. This process results in a recurring decimal.
The answer for 5/15 as a decimal will be 0.3333…