Relationship Between Fractions and Decimals
2026-02-28 10:52 Diff
https://brightchamps.com/en-us/math/numbers/relationship-between-fractions-and-decimals

Every decimal number can be written as a fraction by removing the decimal point, dividing by a power of 10, and simplifying.

Step 1: Write the number without the decimal point. 
 

Step 2: Place the number over 10, 100, or 1000, depending on the number of decimal places.
 

Step 3: Reduce the fraction to its simplest form. 

Example: Convert 7.2 to a fraction.
 

Writing the number without the decimal point, we get 72 
 

Divide by 10: \(\frac{72}{10} \)
 

To simplify, \(\frac{72}{10}\), we should find the GCF of 72 and 10. 
 

Let us list the factors of 72 and 10.
 

Factors of 72: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 72
 

Factors of 10: 1, 2, 5, 10
 

Among the factors of 72 and 10, the greatest common factor (GCF) is 2.


Now, we should divide the numerator and denominator by the GCF
 

\(72 \div 2 \div 10 \div 2 = \frac{36}{5} \)


So, \(\frac{72}{10} \) it can be simplified to \(\frac{36}{5} \)
 

Therefore, the fraction form of 7.2 is \(\frac{36}{5} \).