How Do You Compare Fractions by Converting to Decimals?

Divide the numerator by the denominator to convert a fraction to a decimal
The numerator, 3, becomes the dividend and the denominator, 8, becomes the divisor
3/8 is the same as 0.375
The numerator, 4, becomes the dividend and the denominator, 9, becomes the divisor
4/9 is the same as 0.444...
The bar means that the 4 repeats
'<' means 'less than'

1. It'll be easier to compare the numbers if we rewrite them as decimals
1. The numerator becomes the dividend and the denominator becomes the divisor
2. For the first fraction, we divide the numerator, 3, by the denominator, 8
3. This gives us a terminating decimal, 0.375, that is equal to 3/8
4. For the second fraction, we divide the numerator, 4, by the denominator, 9
5. This gives us a repeating decimal, 0.444..., that is equal to 4/9
1. We can graph the decimals on a number line to compare them
1. On a number line, numbers get larger as you move from left to right
2. So after we graph our decimals, the decimal on the left will be smaller than the decimal on the right
3. 0.375 falls somewhere in between 0.3 and 0.4
4. 0.4444... falls somewhere in between 0.4 and 0.5
1. Now that we have both of our decimals plotted on the number line, it'll be easy to see which one is greater!
1. On a number line, numbers get larger as you move from left to right
2. Since 0.375 is to the left of 0.444... , we know that 0.375 is less than 0.444...
3. '<' means 'less than'

Which fraction is greater, 3/8 or 4/9?