How Can 0.625 Be Written As A Fraction In Its Lowest Terms?

How Can 0.625 Be Written As A Fraction In Its Lowest Terms?

A) 5/8

B) 25/40

C) 62.5/100

D) 125/200

Answer: A) 5/8

The correct way to write 0.625 as a fraction in its simplest form is 5/8. In arriving at this answer, the decimal number has to be changed to a fraction and this fraction must be simplified. In words, 0.625 is “six hundred twenty-five thousandths”. This means that the value refers to fraction 625/1000 and this fraction can be reduced to its lowest terms, by dividing both its denominator and numerator by the common factor.

Now on to the last part of the process to arrive at the simplest form of the fraction, the GCD of 625 and 1000 is 125. To make the fraction have a more simplified appearance, divide both the numerator and the denominator by 125 as indicated below.

625/1000 ÷ (125/125) = 5/8

This process helps reduce the fraction to the simplest form and so the fraction 5/8 is irreducible because 5 and 8 share no factors apart from 1. We can verify this result by converting 5/8 back to a decimal: 5 divided by 8 is 0. 625. It would therefore be admitted that this method of converting decimals to fractions and simplifying them may be applied to other decimals also. For instance, explaining the same process, we can transform the number 0. 875 to a fraction, correct fraction 875 out of 1000, which in the lowest terms equals 7 out of 8 or (7/8)