My son needs to find out what a decimal fraction is. We have searched on the internet but all the explanations arr too complicated for him to understand. Can anyone help?
2006-11-12 06:44:56 · 8 answers · asked by Pedro 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
Please don't just copy and paste off wikipedia as this is one of the sites my son can't understand the explanation of.
2006-11-12 06:51:56 · update #1
The term 'decimal fractions' really just means ordinary decimals, since a decimal is a part of a number. So, 0.5 is equivalent to a half for example.
I teach Year 5, and I introduced this concept by getting them to practise converting fractions that are in hundredths into decimals, I presume this is the sort of thing that your son has been asked to do.
So, for example, 19/100 is just 0.19
50/100 is 0.5 and so on.
If you need more help, try
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revisewise/maths/number/
hope this helps!
2006-11-12 06:49:03 · answer #1 · answered by Funky Little Spacegirl 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The answer given by 'nickname' was good, but not very explicit. Try my way...remember when you were very little and you did sums with hundreds, tens and units? From the 'Hundred' everything is 10 times smaller as there are 10 tens in a hundred and 10 ones in ten, these are whole numbers, ok so far? Decimals just carry on a bit further, so after the decimal point you have tenths (1/10) then hundreths (1/100) then thousandths (1/1000) etc. So 4.29 means 4 units, 2 tenths and 9 hundredths. It is very easy to convert fractions into decimal fractions because a fraction is just a division sum...for example 3/4 means 3 divided by 4 and if you do the actual division sum:
4 )3.00
3 divided by 4 won't go, so put zero then a decimal point. 30 divided by 4 is 7 with 2 left over. This 2 with a zero after it looks like 20, so 20 divided by 4 is 5. The answer is 0.75. You and your son can try that with any fraction, but do the easy ones first. Good luck and I hope that helps.
2006-11-14 11:45:02 · answer #2 · answered by mrsjj49 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A decimal fraction has its denominator a power of 10. Excact decimals can be changed into fractions using place values. For example:
0.37 means 3 tenths and 7 hundredths. 0.37 is the equivalent to 37/100 as a fraction and 37% as a percentage.
3/10, 5/100. and 23/1000 are decimal fractions and are normally expressed as 0.3, 0.50 and 0.023. Not all fractions can be simplified as decimal fractions.
2006-11-12 07:13:01 · answer #3 · answered by marizani 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As far as I know adecimal fraction just the same as a fraction expressed as a decimal i.e 1/2 = 0.5 1/4 = 0.25 etc
2006-11-12 07:01:41 · answer #4 · answered by helen p 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A decimal fraction is division. Example: 1/2 = 0.5
2006-11-12 08:02:45 · answer #5 · answered by . 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a decimal fraction is another way of writing a fraction or a percentage. every space after the decimal represents a fraction eg first place after the decimal is tenths, second hundredths and third thousandths.
2006-11-12 07:48:35 · answer #6 · answered by nickname 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
decimal fractions are dead easy. its all in the base of ten.
1/128 is 0.78125
1/64 is1.5625
1/32 is 3.125
1/16 is 6.25%
1/8 is 12.5%
1/4 is 25%
1/2 is 50%
3/4 is 75%
and all of it is of course 100%
2006-11-12 06:57:42 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
a decimal fraction is something point something e.g 0.25. hope this helps
2006-11-12 07:00:11 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋