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Last updated on March 11th, 2025
Understanding decimal conversion is essential in mathematics. We must first be familiar with percentages and decimals. A percentage represents a part of 100. A decimal is a way to express numbers that are not whole, using 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.
3 1/2% as a decimal can be written as 0.035.
To convert 3 1/2% to a decimal, we first convert the mixed number to an improper fraction. 3 1/2 is equivalent to 7/2. Then, to convert this percentage to a decimal, divide the fraction by 100, since percent means per hundred. Let's break it down step by step:
Step 1: Convert the mixed number to an improper fraction. 3 1/2 = 7/2.
Step 2: Convert the percentage to a fraction over 100. So, (7/2)% = (7/2) / 100.
Step 3: Simplify (7/2) / 100 to 7/200.
Step 4: Divide 7 by 200 to convert the fraction to a decimal.
Step 5: 7 ÷ 200 = 0.035. Thus, 3 1/2% as a decimal is 0.035.