5/8 as a decimal

The quick way is to make an equivalent fraction with a bottom of 1,000, because thousandths can be written straight down as a decimal.

1. 8 × 125 = 1,000.
2. Do the same to the top: 5 × 125 = 625.
3. So 5/8 = 625/1,000, which is 625 thousandths.

625 thousandths is written 0.625: the last digit goes in the thousandths column.

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

1. 8 does not go into 5, so write 0 and a decimal point, then carry the 5 over as 50 tenths.
2. 8 goes into 50 6 times, remainder 2. Write 6, and carry the 2 to make 20.
3. 8 goes into 20 2 times, remainder 4. Write 2, and carry the 4 to make 40.
4. 8 goes into 40 5 times exactly. Write 5.
5. The remainder is 0, so the division stops: 5 ÷ 8 = 0.625.

To round to 2 decimal places, look at the third digit after the point. It is 5, which is 5 or more, so round up: 0.625 is 0.63 to 2 decimal places.

Every eighth is 125 thousandths: 5/8 is 5 × 125 = 625 thousandths, which is 0.625. An eighth is also half of a quarter: half of 0.25 is 0.125.

5/8 sits between 1/2 (0.5) and 2/3 (0.666...). It is closer to 2/3.