The decimal number 438 represents a whole number. However, when expressed as a fraction, it is a fraction with two terms. The numerator of this fraction, which is the top number in the fraction, is 438. The denominator, which is the bottom number, is 1. When we write 438 as a fraction, we typically use the bar notation to separate the numerator from the denominator. Therefore, the fraction form of 438 is |438/1| or simply 438/1.
When expressing a mixed number as a fraction, the whole number is written in the numerator and the remaining portion (called the decimal) is written as the denominator. Mixed numbers are often used to represent a whole number and a fraction at the same time. For example, if we have the mixed number 4.5, we can express it as the fraction 4 + 1/2. This is equivalent to the fraction 438/1000, where 4 is the whole number and 0.138 is the fractional part. To convert this mixed number to an improper fraction, we multiply the whole number (4) by the denominator of the decimal (1000) to get 4000. Then, we add the numerator (138) to this product to get the new numerator. This gives us the improper fraction 4000 + 138, which simplifies to 4138. Since there are 3 digits after the decimal point, we include an extra 1000 in the denominator to account for this. Therefore, the improper fraction form of 4.5 as a fraction is 4138/1000 or simply 4138/1000.
When dividing decimals, it is important to remember that the division process involves two steps. First, we divide the whole number (438) by the denominator (9) using long division. This yields a quotient and a remainder. The quotient represents the whole number part of the final answer, while the remainder represents the fractional part. In this case, the quotient is 47 with a remainder of 5. Since there are 3 digits after the decimal point in the original mixed number, we include an extra 1000 in the denominator to account for this. Therefore, the improper fraction form of the mixed number 4.5 as a fraction is (4609)/(1000) or simply 4609/1000.
