At a grocery store, Daniel wants to buy [tex]$3 \frac{1}{5}$[/tex] lb of ham. What decimal should the digital scale show?

Write [tex]$3 \frac{1}{5}$[/tex] as a fraction and then divide.

The scale should read [tex]\square[/tex] lb.



Answer :

To determine what decimal value the digital scale should show when Daniel wants to buy [tex]\( 3 \frac{1}{5} \)[/tex] pounds of ham, let's convert the mixed fraction into a decimal value step-by-step.

1. Convert the mixed fraction to an improper fraction:
- First, recognize that [tex]\( 3 \frac{1}{5} \)[/tex] can be written as an addition of the whole number and the fraction:
[tex]\[ 3 \frac{1}{5} = 3 + \frac{1}{5} \][/tex]

- To convert it into an improper fraction, multiply the whole number part (3) by the denominator of the fraction (5) and add the numerator (1):
[tex]\[ 3 \times 5 + 1 = 15 + 1 = 16 \][/tex]

- So, the improper fraction is:
[tex]\[ \frac{16}{5} \][/tex]

2. Convert the improper fraction to a decimal:
- To convert [tex]\(\frac{16}{5}\)[/tex] to a decimal, perform the division of 16 by 5:
[tex]\[ \frac{16}{5} = 3.2 \][/tex]

Hence, the digital scale should show:

[tex]\[ \boxed{3.2} \][/tex]

So, the scale should read [tex]\( 3.2 \)[/tex] pounds.