Everyone

Dan Davidson

Eclair

Explore how a decimal number (less than 1) converts to a fraction.

To use Decimal to Fraction Explorer, just enter the decimal you want to convert, then press “Compute Fraction.” 

After conversion, in addition to the fractional equivalent, a pie chart graphically displays the result. 

One main difference between fractions and decimals is that fractions tend to be simple expressions of ratios of whole numbers while decimals represent equivalent quantities by using decreasing powers of 10. Surprisingly, longer decimal numbers sometimes convert to quite simple fractions. For example, the repeating decimal of 0.33333... converts to the fraction, 1/3. The decimal number, 0.0937 converts to the fraction, 3/32 and .5625 converts to 9/16.

Decimal to Fraction Explorer uses a recursive calculation that begins with a very rough guess then refines it with a large number of substitutions checking to see if the new guess is any closer. 

Because this algorithm takes processing time, we have to call it quits after a while when we decide the guess is good enough. This may add an additional small discrepancy between the decimal and its fractional equivalent. The bottom line of text in this app shows the (mostly very small) difference between the decimal you entered and the fraction the program generated (when recalculated as a decimal by dividing the numerator by the denominator). 

This app is free and contains no ads!


Decimal to Fraction Explorer

Latest Version of Decimal to Fraction Explorer