Writing decimals as fractions

To write a decimal as a fraction we need to consider how far to the right of the decimal point it goes. If it only goes one place, then it is tenths, if it goes two places, it is hundredths, and if it goes three places it is thousandths.

Worked Example

Write 0.63 as a fraction

Exercise 1

Writing fractions as decimals

We can treat the fraction as a division in order to find its decimal representation. It is easier though if we can find an equivalent fraction whose denominator is either 10, 100 or 100.

Exercise 2

Comparing Fractions

If fractions have the same denominator, it is easy to compare to find which is larger. If they don’t, we can write them as decimals, and then they become easy to compare.

Worked Example

• Which of these fractions is larger:
  • 3/5 or 13/20
  • 3/16 or 5/32

Exercise 3

Answers to all three exercises