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# Decimals to fractions (simplest form)
- URL: https://www.esheets.io/decimals-to-fractions-simplest-form/
- Published: 2025-09-27T12:37:56.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-21T16:41:59.000Z
- Author: Richard Linnington
- Tags: Maths, Number

When you buy something for £2.75, that decimal actually hides a fraction—because money, measurements, and even time can all be expressed in parts of a whole. Learning to convert decimals to fractions (and then simplify them) helps you see the exact relationship between numbers, whether you’re dealing with money, recipes, or data in science. [Jump to the questions](#practise-now)

## Practise now

Worksheet preview and key skills 

### Worksheet preview

Practise converting decimals to fractions in simplest form with this self-marking maths worksheet.

The interactive worksheet below generates questions, gives instant feedback, and lets students record their score.

#### What you’ll practise

- Using place value to write the decimal as a fraction.
- Choosing tenths, hundredths or thousandths where needed.
- Simplifying the fraction.
- Writing the answer in simplest form.

Use the interactive worksheet below, or read the [Topic guide](#topic-guide) for the method and worked example.

## Topic guide

### What this worksheet practises

This worksheet provides practice on converting decimals into fractions and then simplifying them. Understanding place value is the key to this conversion. Converting a decimal to a fraction is often the easiest way to perform complex multiplications or divisions without a calculator.

### Key method

To convert a decimal to a fraction, you must use the place value of the final digit.

- Look at the last digit of the decimal. Does it fall in the tenths, hundredths, or thousandths column?
- Write the entire number (without the decimal point) as the numerator (the top).
- Write the place value of the final column as the denominator (the bottom). For example, if it ends in the hundredths column, put it over 100.
- Finally, simplify the fraction by finding the highest common factor of the top and bottom numbers.

### Worked example

**Convert 0.45 into a fraction in its simplest form.**

Step 1: Identify the place value. The '5' is in the hundredths column.

Step 2: Write the number over 100.

45 / 100

Step 3: Simplify the fraction. Both numbers end in a 5 or a 0, so they are divisible by 5.

45 ÷ 5 = 9

100 ÷ 5 = 20

Step 4: Check if 9/20 can be simplified further. It cannot.

The simplest fraction is 9/20.

### Common mistakes to avoid

A frequent mistake is putting every decimal over 100, regardless of its length. For example, converting 0.3 to 3/100, instead of 3/10\. You must always use the place value of the *last* digit. Another common error is forgetting to cancel the fraction down to its simplest form.

### How to check your answer

You can quickly check your fraction by performing a rough division. If your answer is 9/20, you know that 10/20 is exactly half (0.5). Because 9 is slightly less than 10, the decimal must be slightly less than 0.5\. Since the original decimal was 0.45, your answer makes sense.