Step 1: Identify the number of decimal places

The decimal 0.042038 has 6 decimal places.

Step 2: Multiply by the appropriate power of 10

Multiply by 10⁶ = 1000000 to eliminate the decimal point.

0.042038 × 1000000 = 42038

Step 3: Write as a fraction

Step 4: Simplify the fraction

Find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 42038 and 1000000.

GCD(42038, 1000000) = 2

Divide both the numerator and denominator by the GCD: