Fractions

12/14/12
into decimals. Exact v ersus inexact. -- A complete course in arithmetic

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ARITHMETIC
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29

Lesson 24 Section 2

FRACTIONS INTO DECIMALS

Exact versus inexact
Back to Section 1

In the previous section we saw the most frequent

and therefore the most important decimal and percent equivalents. Nevertheless, we now ask the
following:

3. What is a general method for changing a fraction to a decimal?

4
11
Divide the numerator by the denominator.

Example 1. Write
Solution.

4
as a decimal.
11

4
= 4 11. As they said in the Little Red School House,
11

"Let 4 fall into the house "

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11 does not go into 4. Write 0 in the quotient, place a decimal point,

and add a 0 onto the dividend. (Lesson 12)

"11 goes into 40 three (3) times (33) with 7 left over.

"11 goes into 70 six (6) times (66) with 4 left over."

Since we are dividing 11 into 40 again, we see that this division will never be exact. We will have
36 repeated as a pattern:
4
= 0.363636. . .
11
By writing three dots (called ellipsis), we mean, "No decimal for

4
11

will ever be complete or exact. However we can approximate it with as many decimal digits as
we please according to the indicated pattern; and
the more decimal digits we write, the closer we will be to

4
."
11

That explanation is an example of mathematical realism. It asserts that in the mathematics of

computation and measurement, what exists is what we actually observe or name, now. That
0.363636 never ends is a doctrine that need not concern us because it serves no useful purpose.
Such actual infinities have no practical effect on calculations in arithmetic or calculus.
What is more, if the decimal really did not end, it would not be a number. Why not? Because a
decimal, to be useful, has a name. It is not that we will never finish naming an infinite sequence of
digits. We cannot even begin.
4
And so we cannot express 11 exactly as a decimal. Therefore if we
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Fractions
12/14/12
into decimals. Exact v ersus inexact. -- A complete course in arithmetic

want to use that number as a decimal, we must approximate it. Let us approximate it with three
decimal digits (Lesson 12):
4
11

0.364

4
as a decimal.
11

Example 2. Write 5

Answer. According to what we just saw:

4
11

5.364

Exact versus inexact decimals

We say then that any decimal for

4
is inexact. But the decimal for ,
11

which is .25, is exact.

The decimal .363636 in and of itself is exact. But
4
as a value for , it is inexact.
11
Fractions, then, when expressed as decimals, will be either exact or inexact. Inexact decimals
nevertheless exhibit a pattern of digits. The
pattern for

4
is .3636363636.
11

Which fractions will have exact decimals? Only those in which the factors of the denominator are
made up of 2's and/or 5's. They are fractions with these denominators: 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 25,
40, 50, and so on.
Example 3.
1
a) Show the decimal pattern that generates.
9

9 goes into 1 zero (0).

9 goes into 10 one (1) time with 1 left over.
Again, 9 goes into 10 one (1) time with 1 left over.
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Fractions
12/14/12
into decimals. Exact v ersus inexact. -- A complete course in arithmetic

And so on. This division will never be exact -- we will keep getting 1's in the quotient.
1
= 0.111111. . .
9
1
8
b) Use that value for to find the value of .
9
9
Solution.

8
1
= 8 = 8 0.111111. . . = 0.8888888. . .
9
9

c) Round off

8
to three decimal digits.
9
8
9

0.889.

See Problem 15 at the end the Lesson.

Example 4. Calculator problem. Write as a decimal:

73
.
96

Answer. Divide 73 by 96. Press

73 96 =
Displayed is
0.7604166
Therefore, to three decimal digits,
73
96

.760

Example 5. In a class of 52 students, 29 were women.

a) What fraction were women?Search

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Answer. Since 29 out of 52 were women, then

29
were women.
52

(Lesson 20, Question 10.)

b) Use a calculator to express that fraction as a decimal.
Answer. Press
2 9 5 2 =

See
0.5576923
This is approximately .558.
c) What percent were women?
Answer. To change a number to a percent, multiply it by 100.
.558 = 55.8%
(Lesson 4.)
In summary, look at what we have done:
29 out of 52 =

29
= 29 52
52

.558 = 55.8%

"Out of," with a calculator, always signifies division: Division of a smaller number by a larger.
We will return to this in Lesson 30.

Please "turn" the page and do some Problems.

or
Continue on to the next Lesson.
Section 1 of this Lesson

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Fractions
12/14/12
into decimals. Exact v ersus inexact. -- A complete course in arithmetic

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