To convert the decimal 5.875 to a fraction, you can follow these steps:
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Recognize that 5.875 can be expressed as \(5 + 0.875\).
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Convert 0.875 into a fraction. Since 0.875 can also be written as \( \frac{875}{1000} \), we can simplify this fraction.
To simplify \( \frac{875}{1000} \):
- Find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 875 and 1000, which is 125.
- Divide both the numerator and the denominator by the GCD.
\[ \frac{875 \div 125}{1000 \div 125} = \frac{7}{8} \]
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Now, we can express 5.875 as: \[ 5 + 0.875 = 5 + \frac{7}{8} = \frac{40}{8} + \frac{7}{8} = \frac{47}{8} \]
Therefore, 5.875 ft of wood can be expressed as the fraction \( \frac{47}{8} \) ft.