Arithmetic - Decimals

Converting Decimals to Fractions

1. Remove the decimal point and make the decimal number the numerator. 2. Let the denominator be the number 1 followed by as many zeros as there are decimal places in the original decimal number. 3. Reduce this fraction if possible. Example one: Convert .3875 into a fraction Step one: Eliminate the decimal point and place 3875 as the numerator, so 3875/ x Step two: Since .3875 has four digits after the decimal point, put four zeros in the denominator following the number 1, so 3875/10,000 Step three: Reduce, so 31/80

Converting Fractions to Decimals

6/15 = .4

Decimal

A number with a nonzero digit to the right of the decimal point. Decimals are a way of writing parts of wholes. Some GRE questions ask you to identify specific digits in a decimal, so you need to know the names of these different digits. Example: 3,568.421 3 = thousands 5 = hundreds 6 = tens 8 = units 4 = tenths 2 = hundredths 1 = thousandths