Small conversion of units question

[Inertialforce]

Homework Statement

I don't really know if this is the right place for this question but, we were doing a physics lab and we were using measuring instruments that measure in inches and asked to collect the data for various parts of the lab. My problem is that we were asked to graph our findings but all of our data was in fractions (like 4 and 3.5/8 inches) and we were asked to simplify all the data into decimal numbers (like 4.44 inches).

The measurement that I got for part 1 of my lab was four and three point five over eight inches (or 4 and 3.5/8) inches. What I basically want to ask is how would you convert this to decimal numbers (like 4.44)?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

To convert these measurements I kept the four a four and then divided the 3.5 by the 8 and got 0.4375 . I then rounded the 0.4375 to 0.44 and added it back to my 4 to get a measurement of 4.44 (this is from 4 and 3.5/8 inches).

 

[G01]

4 and 3.5/8 is equal to 4.44

You got it.

 

[baba89]

As a scientist, it is important to have precise and accurate measurements in order to obtain reliable data. In this case, it is necessary to convert the given measurements from fractions to decimal numbers in order to graph the data accurately.

To convert fractions to decimals, you simply divide the numerator (top number) by the denominator (bottom number). In this case, you did this correctly by dividing 3.5 by 8 and obtaining a result of 0.4375. However, it is important to note that rounding the result to 0.44 may introduce some error into your data. It is best to keep the full decimal value (0.4375) for a more accurate measurement.

Additionally, it is important to keep track of units when converting between different systems of measurement. In this case, the original measurement was in inches and the converted measurement should also be in inches. Therefore, the final result would be 4.4375 inches.

In summary, to convert fractions to decimals, divide the numerator by the denominator and keep the full decimal value for more accurate measurements. And always make sure to keep track of units when converting between different systems of measurement.