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Procedure for Converting a Fraction to a Decimal

To convert any fraction to its decimal equivalent, divide the numerator by the denominator using long division. Because the fraction bar represents division — ab\frac{a}{b} means a÷ba \div b — the quotient of this division is the decimal form of the fraction. Append zeros to the right of the dividend (after a decimal point) as needed to continue the division. The result will be one of two types:

  • A terminating decimal, which ends when the remainder reaches 00 (e.g., 78=0.875\frac{7}{8} = 0.875).
  • A repeating decimal, which occurs when the remainders begin to cycle. Once a remainder repeats, the same block of quotient digits will repeat indefinitely, indicated by a bar (overline) over the repeating portion (e.g., 4322=1.954\frac{43}{22} = 1.9\overline{54}).

When an expression contains both a fraction and a decimal, it is usually easier to convert the fraction to decimal form (rather than converting the decimal to a fraction) so that the resulting arithmetic involves only decimals.

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Updated 2026-05-02

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