What is 3/16 in decimal form?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking to convert the fraction 3/16 into its decimal form, which involves dividing the numerator by the denominator.
Answer
$ 0.1875 $
Answer for screen readers
The decimal form of the fraction $ \frac{3}{16} $ is $ 0.1875 $.
Steps to Solve
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Setting up the division
To convert the fraction $ \frac{3}{16} $ into decimal form, we need to divide the numerator (3) by the denominator (16). -
Performing the division
We can set it up as $ 3 \div 16 $. Since 3 is less than 16, we will start with 3.0 (i.e., 30 tenths) to perform the division. -
Calculating the first decimal place
Calculating $ 30 \div 16 $ gives us 1 (since 16 fits into 30 once).- We have a remainder of $ 30 - 16 = 14 $(so now we're looking at 14 tenths).
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Continuing to the next decimal place
Next, we take the remainder 14, bringing down another 0 to get $ 140 $.- Now perform $ 140 \div 16 $, which goes 8 times (since $ 16 \times 8 = 128 $).
- The new remainder is $ 140 - 128 = 12 $.
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Finding further decimal places
We then bring down another 0, resulting in $ 120 $.- Now calculate $ 120 \div 16 $, which gives 7 (since $ 16 \times 7 = 112 $).
- This time the remainder is $ 120 - 112 = 8 $.
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Continuing the process
Bring down another 0 to work with $ 80 $.- Calculate $ 80 \div 16 $, which fits exactly 5 times (since $ 16 \times 5 = 80 $).
- This leaves us with a remainder of 0.
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Writing the final result
Combining our results, we find that $ \frac{3}{16} $ equals $ 0.1875 $.
The decimal form of the fraction $ \frac{3}{16} $ is $ 0.1875 $.
More Information
When converting fractions to decimals, it's common to continue finding decimal places until the division is complete or you reach a repeating decimal. In this case, $ 0.1875 $ is a terminating decimal.
Tips
- A common mistake is to forget to bring down additional zeros, which can lead to incorrect decimal places.
- Some may also misunderstand how to divide when the numerator is smaller than the denominator—remember, you can always add decimal zeros.