What is 2.5 as a Fraction?
-
-
- A. 17/10,000
- B. 17/1,000
- C. 4/25
- D. 10/3
- E. 5/2
-
The correct answer is E. 5/2
Explanation
You must understand how the decimal system works to turn a decimal number into a fraction. A decimal number has a whole number part, a fractional part, and a decimal point. After the decimal point, the first place is the tenth place, the second place is the hundredth place, and so on.
For example, take the number 2.5. In this case, 2 is the whole number, and .5 is the fraction. The part that is a fraction. Since 5 is in the tenth place, you can write it as 5/10. But the fraction must be broken down into its simplest parts for a more accurate picture. The number 5 is a factor of the number 10. We get 5/10 = 1/2 when we divide the numerator by the denominator by this common factor.
So, when you add the whole number part and the fractional part together, you get 2 1/2, which is a mixed number. It can be written as 5/2 in improper fraction form, where the numerator is larger than the denominator. In this fraction, the number 5 (the numerator) shows how many equal parts there are, and the number 2 (the denominator) shows how many equal parts the whole is divided into.
Explanation Video
