Bridget is building a table with her mom as a weekend project. She needs 5.875 feet of wood. What is this amount as a fraction?
5.875 feet can be written as the fraction 5 7/8.
To convert 5.875 feet into a fraction, we can use the following steps:
Step 1: Determine the number of digits after the decimal point.
In this case, there are 3 digits after the decimal point (875).
Step 2: Write the decimal number as a fraction over its place value.
Since there are three digits after the decimal point, the place value is 1000 (or 10^3).
Step 3: Simplify the fraction.
To simplify the fraction, we divide both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor (GCD).
Let's go through the steps:
Step 1: The number of digits after the decimal point is 3.
Step 2: Write the decimal as a fraction: 5.875 = 5.875/1
Step 3: Convert the fractional part to the numerator: 875 (numerator)
Since there are 3 digits after the decimal point, the denominator is 1000.
So, the fraction becomes 5.875 = 5875/1000.
Now, let's simplify this fraction:
Step 1: Find the Greatest Common Divisor (GCD) of the numerator and denominator.
The GCD of 5875 and 1000 is 125.
Step 2: Divide both numerator and denominator by the GCD.
5875 ÷ 125 = 47
1000 ÷ 125 = 8
So, the simplified fraction is 47/8.
Therefore, the amount of wood required, 5.875 feet, can be written as the fraction 47/8.