Simplify the Fraction: Reducing 250/500 to Lowest Terms

To solve the problem of converting $\frac{250}{500}$ to a decimal, we will follow these steps:

• Step 1: Simplify the fraction $\frac{250}{500}$.
• Step 2: Convert the resulting simplified fraction to a decimal.

Let's begin:

Step 1: Simplify the fraction $\frac{250}{500}$.
To simplify, find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 250 and 500. The GCD is 250.

Divide both the numerator and the denominator by their GCD:
$\frac{250 \div 250}{500 \div 250} = \frac{1}{2}$.

Step 2: Convert the simplified fraction $\frac{1}{2}$ to a decimal.
To do this, divide 1 by 2 to get the decimal: $0.5$.

Therefore, the decimal representation of $\frac{250}{500}$ is $\mathbf{0.5}$.