If the decimal is 1.2, the resulting fraction is 12/10, or 6/5. If the decimal value is greater than one or smaller than minus one, the fraction may need to be further processed to arrive at a mixed fraction with a whole and a fraction part. In this case this is 2, so the simpified fraction is 1/5. This is already a good solution, but if a simplified fraction is needed, the greatest common divisor needs to be identified and then both sides need to be divided by it. In this case the number is 1, so it is simply 2 divided by 10, or 2/10 as a fraction. First, express it as a fraction with base 10 times the number of significant figures to the right of the decimal point (or comma). If the decimal value is 0.2, the corresponding fraction can be calculated by using this algorithm. This fraction can then be simplified, expressed as a mixed fraction, and so on as explained in the examples below. Hence the end result is the original number multipled by 10 N over 10 N. As the denominator write down 10 to the power of N, where N is the number of significant digits after the decimal point. Then write that number down as the fractions's numerator. Simply take the number and multiply it by 10 to the power of as many times as needed to leave no significant figures behind the decimal point (N).
How to convert decimal numbers to fractions?Ĭalculating a fraction from a decimal is a straightforward process. How to convert decimal numbers to fractions?.You can make your own copy of the spreadsheet above using the link attached below. If you want a more precise fraction, we can use up to two digits using the following formula: =TEXT(B2, "0 00/00") To get the values in Column C, we just need to use the following formula: =TEXT(B2,"0 00/00")Īlternatively, we can use number format options to achieve the same effect. However, since the fractions are only a formatting option, the original value does not change. Most conversions to fractions will include some amount of differences in the actual value. For example, 75 ⅔ is actually 75.6666… in decimal. Each lap time is converted into a fraction in column C.Įach fraction in the table above is an approximation that uses the least number of digits. Values in column B are decimal values indicating lap times.
In the example below, we have a list of driver lap times around a specific racetrack. Let’s take a look at a real example of a spreadsheet that converts decimals to fractions. Now that we know what methods to use when you need to convert to fractions, let’s look at how it works on an actual sample spreadsheet.Ī Real Example of Converting Decimal to Fraction in Excel Now that we know what options we have to format and convert decimals to fractions, let’s look at how these tools can be used on an actual sample spreadsheet. This allows us to set a column that dynamically formats data from a specific cell range. We also have the option to use the TEXT function. We can also use the more advanced Custom Format options to specify how accurate the final fraction should be. With Excel’s number format commands, you can convert your decimals into fractions. The lap time of driver A should show up as 75 ¼ seconds and so on. You are tasked to provide the fractional equivalent of the decimal numbers in another column. For example, your sheet indicates that driver A had the best lap time among the competition at 75.255 seconds. Each row consists of the name of the driver and their lap time in seconds. You have a dataset that includes a list of lap times for a racing event. Let’s take a look at a quick scenario where we might need to convert decimals into a fraction value. Since fractional data is simply decimal data re-formatted as a fraction, Excel provides an option to convert between the two. For example, cooking recipes often use fractions in their instructions. However, you may still require using fractional values in your spreadsheets.