Alright, let's break this down step by step. Imagine we have a pizza cut into 2 equal parts and you take 1 slice out of the 2 slices. How much pizza do you have? You have 1/2 of the pizza, right?

Now, let's think about the number 2 and a half. This means we have 2 whole things, like 2 whole pizzas, and then we have an extra half of something. It's like saying 2 pizzas plus half a pizza.

When we write 2 1/2 as a decimal number, we're converting this mixed number into a decimal. To do that, we need to convert the 2 whole pizzas into a decimal first. 2 as a decimal is simply 2. Then we focus on the 1/2 - that's half a pizza.

In decimals, we represent 'half' as 0.5. So, if we add 2 (which is 2.0 in decimals) and 0.5 together, we get 2.5. Therefore, 2 1/2 as a decimal number is 2.5.

Just remember, when you see mixed numbers like this, think of them as a combination of whole numbers and fractions. Converting them to decimals is easy once you remember how to represent fractions as decimals!


Ask a followup question

Loading...