A meteorologist at a television station that a town received 0.95 in of rain. What fraction is equivalent to this amount of rain in inches (show work)
The correct answer and explanation is:
To express 0.95 inches of rain as a fraction, follow these steps:
- Understand the decimal: The decimal 0.95 means “ninety-five hundredths.” It represents 95 out of 100.
- Write as a fraction: The decimal 0.95 can be written as a fraction with 95 as the numerator and 100 as the denominator: 95100\frac{95}{100}
- Simplify the fraction: To simplify the fraction, find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 95 and 100. The GCD of 95 and 100 is 5. Now, divide both the numerator and denominator by 5: 95÷5100÷5=1920\frac{95 \div 5}{100 \div 5} = \frac{19}{20}
So, the fraction equivalent to 0.95 inches of rain is: 1920\frac{19}{20}
Explanation:
- Converting decimals to fractions: Decimal numbers are easily converted to fractions by placing the decimal number over a power of 10. In this case, 0.95 is equivalent to 95/100. This is because 0.95 is the same as 95 hundredths.
- Simplification: After converting to a fraction, the next step is simplifying it. Simplifying fractions involves dividing both the numerator and denominator by their greatest common divisor (GCD), which in this case is 5. This results in the fraction 19/20.
- Why simplify: Simplifying fractions makes them easier to understand and work with. In most cases, simpler fractions are preferred as they are easier to interpret.
Thus, 0.95 inches of rain can be expressed as the fraction 19/20. This is the simplest form of the fraction representing 0.95 inches.