# What is 3/5 as a decimal?

## Want to practice?

$$\frac{\mathbf3}{\mathbf5}\boldsymbol=\frac{\boldsymbol?}{\mathbf{10}}\boldsymbol=\boldsymbol?$$

## Solution

To solve the first part (?), compare the numerator and denominator of both the fractions.

It can be observed that the denominator of the first fraction 5 is multiplied by 2 to get 10.

Similarly, 2 has to be multiplied by the numerator also to keep the value of the fraction unaltered.

$$\frac{\mathbf3\boldsymbol\times\mathbf2}{\mathbf5\boldsymbol\times\mathbf2}\boldsymbol=\frac{\mathbf6}{\mathbf{10}}$$

The fractions that are obtained by multiplying the same values to the numerator and denominator are called equivalent fractions.

To find the second blank, write the fraction in decimal form.
The number of zeros that follow 1 in the denominator is the number of decimal digits to be moved in the numerator to the left.

Here our denominator is 10 which has one zero. Hence move one decimal point in the numerator to the right.

$$\frac{\mathbf6}{\mathbf{10}}\boldsymbol=\mathbf0\boldsymbol.\mathbf6$$

Alternatively, the fraction can also be converted to decimal form by dividing the numerator by the denominator using the long division method.

Here the numerator 6 is the dividend and the denominator 10 is the divisor.

Carry out the division, by placing a decimal in the quotient and adding 0 to the dividend.

Hence the decimal form is 0.6.

## Remember

Here are some common terms you should be familiar with.

• In the fraction $$\frac35$$, the number 3 is the dividend (our numerator)
• The number 5 is our divisor (our denominator)

Such a topic may be interesting for you: What is 5/8 as a decimal fraction?