To convert 8.5 into a fraction, we can break it down into two parts: the whole number and the decimal part.
The whole number is 8, and the decimal part is 0.5. We can write 8.5 as:
8.5 = 8 + 0.5
Next, we need to convert the decimal 0.5 into a fraction. The number 0.5 can be expressed as:
0.5 = 5/10
This fraction can be simplified by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor, which is 5:
5 ÷ 5 = 1 and 10 ÷ 5 = 2
So, 0.5 = 1/2
Now we can combine the whole number and the fraction:
8 + 0.5 = 8 + 1/2 = 8 1/2
Finally, we can express this as an improper fraction. To do this, we multiply the whole number 8 by the denominator of the fraction (2) and then add the numerator (1):
(8 × 2) + 1 = 16 + 1 = 17
Therefore, we can express 8.5 as an improper fraction:
8.5 = 17/2
In conclusion, the decimal 8.5 can be represented as the fraction 17/2.