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Last updated on March 13th, 2025

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-1/2 as a Decimal

Professor Greenline Explaining Math Concepts
Foundation
Intermediate
Advance Topics

It is a simple question on decimal conversion. Firstly, we have to learn fractions and decimals. A fraction represents a part of a whole. It has two parts: the numerator (number on the top), here -1, which represents how many parts out of the whole are being considered, and the denominator (number below), here 2, which shows how many parts make the whole. 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 part, and those to the right represent the fractional part.

Professor Greenline from BrightChamps

What is -1/2 as a decimal?

-1/2 as a decimal

 

 

Answer

-1/2 in decimal can be written as -0.5. It is a terminating decimal, meaning it doesn't repeat or continue infinitely.

 

Explanation

To convert -1/2 into a decimal, we use the division method. Since -1 is smaller in absolute value than 2, we'll use the decimal method to find the result, which is -0.5. Let's see the step-by-step breakdown of the process:

 

Step 1: Identify the numerator and denominator. Here, the numerator (-1) will be taken as the dividend, and the denominator (2) will be taken as the divisor.

 

Step 2: As -1 is smaller in absolute value than 2, we can't divide it directly; we will use decimals. We consider -10 instead of -1 and place a decimal point in the quotient.

 

Step 3: Now that we have -10, we divide it by 2. Let's see how many times 2 fits into 10. Step 4: 10 divided by 2 equals 5. We place -0.5 in the quotient. The division yields a remainder of 0, confirming that the decimal is terminating.

 

The answer for -1/2 as a decimal is -0.5.

Professor Greenline from BrightChamps

Important Glossaries for -1/2 as a decimal

  • Fraction: A numerical quantity that is not a whole number, representing a part of a whole.

 

  • Decimal: A number that uses the base ten and includes a decimal point to separate the whole part from the fractional part.

 

  • Numerator: The top part of a fraction, indicating how many parts of the whole are being considered.

 

  • Denominator: The bottom part of a fraction, showing how many parts make up a whole.

 

  • Terminating Decimal: A decimal that ends and does not repeat infinitely.
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