Table Of Contents
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 from the whole. It has two parts: the numerator (number on the top) here, 7 (from 3 1/2 expressed as an improper fraction 7/2) represents how many parts out of the whole. The denominator (number below) shows how many parts make the whole, here it is 2. A decimal is a way to represent the number that is not whole, using a (.) or a decimal to separate the whole part from the fraction 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 in decimals can be written as 3.5. It is a terminating decimal.
To get 3 1/2 in decimal, we will first convert it into an improper fraction, which is 7/2. Then, we use the division method. Let's see the step-by-step breakdown of the process:
Step 1: Identify the numerator and denominator because the numerator (7) will be taken as the dividend and the denominator (2) will be taken as the divisor.
Step 2: Divide 7 by 2.
Step 3: 2 goes into 7 three times (2 × 3 = 6). Write 3 in the quotient place.
Step 4: Subtract 6 from 7, which gives us 1.
Step 5: Bring down a 0 to make it 10.
Step 6: 2 goes into 10 five times (2 × 5 = 10). Write 5 in the quotient place after the decimal point.
Step 7: Subtract 10 from 10, which gives us 0.
The division process is complete with no remainder, so the answer for 3 1/2 as a decimal is 3.5.