SOLUTION: what has the least value. 0.27, 1/4, 3/8, 2/11, 11%

Change them all to fractions:

 means the fraction 

 is already a fraction

 is already a fraction 

 is already a fraction 

 means the fraction 

Now we line up the five fractions:

, , , , 

We get the LCD of all these, 

100=2*2*5*5
4 = 2*2
8 = 2*2*2
11= 11
100=2*2*5*5

So the LCD must contain each factor the most number of times it
occurs as a factor in any one of those, so the LCD must contain 
2 three times, because 2 occurs at most three times as a factor 
in 8. It must contain 5 two times because 5 occurs twice as a 
factor in 4 and 100, and it must contain 11 one time since 11 
occurs at most one time in 11 itself.

So LCD=2*2*2*5*5*11=2200.

Now write them all with the common denominator of 2200:

, 
,
,
,
.

The smallest of these is the one with the smallest
numerator (when expressend with the same common
denominator):

So  is the smallest of the five.

You might find it easier to convert them all to decimals
instead of fractions:

 is already a decimal  



 

  

 

The smallest has the smallest tenths digit.
The  and  both have smallest tenths 
digits of 1.  So it's between those two.  So we go for the 
one of those two with the smaller hundredths digit, and the 
hundredths digit of  is 1 while the hunmdredths 
digit of  is 8. So the smallest of the five is
.

Edwin