The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is 0.015.
To convert the fraction 3/200 into a decimal, you can use one of two primary methods. Both methods will yield the same result.
The first and most direct method is to perform long division. A fraction represents a division problem where the numerator is divided by the denominator. In this case, you need to calculate 3 divided by 200. Since 3 is smaller than 200, the result will be less than one. You begin by setting up the division problem. Place a decimal point after the 3 and add trailing zeros (e.g., 3.000). A corresponding decimal point is placed in the answer space above. First, you see that 200 does not go into 3, so you place a 0 in the ones place. Next, you consider 30. Again, 200 does not go into 30, so you place a 0 in the tenths place. Then, you consider 300. The number 200 goes into 300 one time. You write a 1 in the hundredths place. After subtracting 200 (1 × 200) from 300, you are left with a remainder of 100. You bring down another zero to make the new number 1000. Finally, 200 goes into 1000 exactly five times (5 × 200 = 1000). You write a 5 in the thousandths place. There is no remainder, so the division is complete. The resulting decimal is 0.015.
The second method involves creating an equivalent fraction with a denominator that is a power of 10, such as 100, 1000, or 10000. This makes the conversion to a decimal very simple. Looking at the denominator, 200, we can see that multiplying it by 5 will result in 1000, which is a power of 10. To keep the fraction’s value unchanged, you must multiply both the numerator and the denominator by the same number. So, you multiply 3 by 5 and 200 by 5. This gives you the equivalent fraction 15/1000. This fraction is read as “fifteen thousandths,” which directly translates to the decimal 0.015, where the final digit, 5, is in the thousandths place.
