How do you work out an equivalent fraction? - Answers

An equivalent fraction is a fraction that represents a decimal quantity, which is the form of for example 1.25 The equivalent for 1.25 is 1¼. So like a dollar and 25 cents is 1.25, one and a quarter is 1.25 or 1¼. Other common equivalents are halves. A half is 0.5, or .5 or ½. Three quarters is 0.75, .75. or ¾. The way to convert a decimal to a fraction is a little involved. The easiest way is to get a calculator and divide the two numbers. The top or first number in the fraction is the numerator. It tells you how many of the other units you have. The other number is the denominator, which like money denominations, tell you how much each numerator is worth. Take 2⅝. Use a calculator to divide 5 by 8, the answer is .625. Add that to 2 to get the final answer, two and five eights, which is written out as 2.625 in decimal.