What is negative 1/5 as a decimal?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
Negative ( \frac{1}{5} ) as a decimal is ( -0.2 ).
To understand why ( -\frac{1}{5} ) equals ( -0.2 ), we first need to convert the fraction ( \frac{1}{5} ) into decimal form. A fraction consists of a numerator and a denominator. Here, ( 1 ) is the numerator (the top part) and ( 5 ) is the denominator (the bottom part). The fraction ( \frac{1}{5} ) means that you are dividing 1 by 5.
To perform the division, you can use long division or recognize that ( 5 ) goes into ( 1.0 ). Setting it up, you can divide ( 1.0 ) by ( 5 ):
- Long Division Setup: You set up ( 1.0 ) (or simply ( 1 )) as the dividend and ( 5 ) as the divisor.
- Perform the Division: Since ( 5 ) does not go into ( 1 ), you move to the decimal point and consider ( 10 ). ( 5 ) goes into ( 10 ) exactly ( 2 ) times.
- Multiply and Subtract: Multiply ( 2 ) (the quotient) by ( 5 ) (the divisor), which gives ( 10 ). Subtracting this from ( 10 ) leaves ( 0 ).
- Conclude: Therefore, ( \frac{1}{5} ) as a decimal is ( 0.2 ).
Now, since we are dealing with negative ( \frac{1}{5} ), we simply add the negative sign in front of the decimal: ( -0.2 ). This negative sign indicates that the value is less than zero, or on the left side of the number line, reflecting a decrease or a deficit in a quantity.
In summary, converting the fraction ( -\frac{1}{5} ) into decimal form involves dividing ( 1 ) by ( 5 ), yielding ( 0.2 ), and then applying the negative sign, resulting in ( -0.2 ).