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How to convert a number to a fraction in Python

How to convert a number to a fraction in Python.

Introduction​

In Python, you can convert a decimal number into a fraction using the fractions module. This module provides a Fraction class that allows you to work with fractions easily. This tutorial will guide you through the process of converting a number to a fraction step by step, providing multiple code examples where applicable.

Step 1: Import the fractions module​

To begin, you need to import the fractions module. This module is part of the Python standard library, so you don't need to install any external packages. Here's the code:

import fractions

Step 2: Create a Fraction object​

Now that you have imported the fractions module, you can create a Fraction object. The Fraction class takes two arguments: the numerator and the denominator. You can pass the decimal number as the numerator and 1 as the denominator. Here's an example:

fraction = fractions.Fraction(0.5, 1)

Step 3: Simplify the fraction (optional)​

If you want to simplify the fraction, you can call the fraction.simplify() method. This method reduces the fraction to its simplest form. Here's an example:

fraction.simplify()

Step 4: Retrieve the fraction components​

To access the numerator and denominator of the fraction, you can use the fraction.numerator and fraction.denominator attributes, respectively. Here's an example:

numerator = fraction.numerator
denominator = fraction.denominator

Step 5: Convert the fraction to a string (optional)​

If you want to convert the fraction to a string representation, you can use the fraction.__str__() method or the str(fraction) function. Here's an example:

fraction_str = str(fraction)

Step 6: Print the fraction​

To display the fraction, you can use the print() function. Here's an example:

print(fraction)

Putting it all together:

Here's the complete code that converts a number to a fraction and prints it:

import fractions

decimal_number = 0.5
fraction = fractions.Fraction(decimal_number, 1)

fraction.simplify()

numerator = fraction.numerator
denominator = fraction.denominator

fraction_str = str(fraction)

print(fraction)

In this tutorial, you learned how to convert a decimal number to a fraction in Python using the fractions module. By following the step-by-step instructions and code examples, you can easily convert any decimal number to its corresponding fraction representation.