Question

What is the process for converting a fraction to a decimal?

Answer 1

Well to convert a fraction to a decimal you need to go back to what fractions are. Basically, a fraction is a “piece” of a total—exactly as division would come out to be a piece of a total. If you had 2/7 as a fraction, simply divide 2 by 7 and you have a decimal. The way you’d do this is 7 doesn’t go into 2, so you put a 0 as the first number. Then add a .0 after the 2 to get 2.0. Well, 7 DOES go into 20. It goes in 2 times. Subtract 14 (2 times of 7) from the 20 to get 6. Add another 0 to the end of the 2.0 and drag it down to the 6. Now you have 60 and 7 goes into that 8 times. Subtract 56 from 60 (7 times 8 is 56) to get 4. Add another 0 to the 2.00 and drag it down to the 4 to get 40. 7 goes into 40 5 times. Then 5 remaining—drop another 0–7 goes into 50 7 times—remaining is 1–drop another 0. 7 goes in once—remaining 3–drop another 0–7 goes in 4 times. Now you’re stuck at another 20.. we already did 20. This means the digits you just got will repeat indefinitely. Therefore, the answer would be:

0.285714
With a line over 285714 to show it repeats forever. (It would basically be this if you kept going: 0.285714285714285714....)

So 2/7 in fraction form is 2/7; and in decimal form it is 0.285714 (285714 w/ line over it to signify repeating)