Which statement about decimals and fractions is true?

• A. The denominator depends on the place value of the decimal
• B. Denominators are always 100
• C. The numerator is always the decimal value
• D. Decimals cannot be expressed as fractions

Answer: (A)

Decimals express parts of a whole using tenths, hundredths, thousandths, and so on. When you turn a decimal into a fraction, you remove the decimal point and put the resulting integer over a power of ten that matches how many digits are to the right of the decimal. For example, 0.3 has one digit after the decimal, so it becomes 3 over 10. A decimal like 0.75 has two digits after the decimal, so it becomes 75 over 100 (and can be simplified to 3/4). Because the number of digits after the decimal can vary, the starting denominator is not fixed; it’s 10, 100, 1000, etc., depending on place value. This is why the denominator depends on the place value of the decimal. Decimals can always be expressed as fractions, and the numerator is the integer you get after removing the decimal point, not the decimal value itself.