5/16 as a decimal

The quick way is to make an equivalent fraction with a bottom of 10,000, because ten-thousandths can be written straight down as a decimal.

1. 16 × 625 = 10,000.
2. Do the same to the top: 5 × 625 = 3,125.
3. So 5/16 = 3,125/10,000, which is 3,125 ten-thousandths.

3,125 ten-thousandths is written 0.3125: the last digit goes in the ten-thousandths column.

You can also divide the top by the bottom. Short division gives the same answer:

1. 16 does not go into 5, so write 0 and a decimal point, then carry the 5 over as 50 tenths.
2. 16 goes into 50 3 times, remainder 2. Write 3, and carry the 2 to make 20.
3. 16 goes into 20 once, remainder 4. Write 1, and carry the 4 to make 40.
4. 16 goes into 40 2 times, remainder 8. Write 2, and carry the 8 to make 80.
5. 16 goes into 80 5 times exactly. Write 5.
6. The remainder is 0, so the division stops: 5 ÷ 16 = 0.3125.

To round to 2 decimal places, look at the third digit after the point. It is 2, which is less than 5, so round down: 0.3125 is 0.31 to 2 decimal places.

Every sixteenth is 625 ten-thousandths: 5/16 is 5 × 625 = 3,125 ten-thousandths, which is 0.3125. A sixteenth is half of an eighth: half of 0.125 is 0.0625.

5/16 sits between 1/4 (0.25) and 1/3 (0.333...). It is closer to 1/3.