INDUSTRIAL ARTS

LEARNING OUTCOME 3
CONVERT FRACTION TO DECIMAL AND VICE VERSA

CONVERSION OF FRACTION AND DECIMAL

Every fraction can also be written as a decimal, and vice versa. You may not do this
very often, but converting decimals and fractions can help you in math.
A fraction is a number that can name a part of a whole or part of a set. A fraction is
made up of two parts: a numerator and a denominator.

Illustrative Examples
A. 4/5
Step 1. To convert a fraction to a decimal, we’ll just divide the numerator by the
denominator.
5)4
Step 2. To keep dividing, we'll add a decimal point and a zero after the 4. We’ll also
add a decimal point after the 0 on top.
0.
5 ) 4.0
Step 3. Now we can divide 40 by 5.
0.8
5 )4.0
40
0
So 4/5 is equal to 0.8.
 B. 3/4
Step 1. To convert a fraction to a decimal, we’ll just divide the numerator by the
denominator.
4 )3
Step 2. To keep dividing, we’ll add a decimal point and a zero after the 3. We’ll also add
a decimal point after the 0 on top.
0.
4 )3.0
Step 3. Now we can divide 30 by 4.
0.7
4 )3.0
28
2
Step 4. Since 2 is greater than 0, we’re not finished dividing yet. We’ll add another 0
after the decimal point and bring it down.
0.75
4 )3. 00
28
20
20
0
So 3/4 is equal to 0.75.
C. 1/8
= 8 )1

= 0.1
8 )1.0
8

= 0.12
8 )1.00
8
20

= 0.125
8 )1.000
8
20
16
40
40
0
Therefore, 1/8 equal to 0.125
ROUNDING OFF DECIMALS
PLACE VALUE OF DECIMALS
Whole Number Part Decimal Part
1,000 100 10 1 D 1/10 1/100 1/1000
T H T O E T H T
H U E N C E U H
O N N E I N N O
U D S S M T D U
S R A H R S
A E L S E A
N D D N
D S P T D
S O H T
I S H
N S
T
0 . 7 9 1

Illustrative Examples
Change the fractions to decimals. Round off to the nearest hundredths.
A. 1/3
= 0.333 0.33
3 )1.000
9
10
9
10
9
1

The digit 3 is the repeating digit so 1/3 is equal to 0.33.

B. 5/6
= 0.833 0.83
6 )5.000
48
20
18
20
18
2
The digit 3 is the repeating digit so 5/6 is equal to 0.83.
1. If the first number to be eliminated is less than 5, simply drop it (and the number
to the right of it) and let the last significant digit stand.
Example: Round off 25.4 mm to whole millimeter.
Solution: Simply drop the .4
Answer: 25

Example : Round off 0.3125 (5/16) into two significant digits.

Solution: The first number to be eliminated is 2: Simply drop it and all
numbers to its right(5)
Answer: 0.31
2. If the number to be eliminated is 5 or more, drop the number, then add one to the
last digit retained.
Example:
a. Round off 78.6 into its nearest ones.
Solution: The number to be rounded off is 6 which is greater than 5,
drop 6 and add one to the last digit retained.
Answer: 79

b. Round off 92.65 into its nearest tenths.

Solution: The number to be rounded off is 5, drop 5 and add one to 6
which is the last digit retained.
Answer: 92.7
CONVERSION OF DECIMAL AND FRACTION
Now we’ll do it in reverse. Let’s convert a decimal into a fraction.
A decimal is changed to a fraction by using 10 or any power of 10 as denominator of the
given decimal. Then change to lowest term when possible.

Illustrative Examples

A. 0.4 = 4/10 or 2/5

B. 0.25 = 25/100 or ¼
C. 0.328 = 328/1000 or 82/250 or 41/125

Millimeters Equivalent of Decimals and Fractions of an Inch.

Fractions Decimals Millimeters
1/16 0.625 1.588
1/18 0.1250 3.175
3/16 0.1875 4.762

Illustrative Example
A. 1/16
1 ÷ 16 × 25.4 = 1.5875 mm
0.0625 × 25.4 = 1.5875 mm

Multiply by 25.4 since there are 25.4 millimeters in one inch.