Step 1: Identify the number of decimal places

The decimal 0.5438 has 4 decimal places.

Step 2: Multiply by the appropriate power of 10

Multiply by 10⁴ = 10000 to eliminate the decimal point.

0.5438 × 10000 = 5438

Step 3: Write as a fraction

Step 4: Simplify the fraction

Find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 5438 and 10000.

GCD(5438, 10000) = 2

Divide both the numerator and denominator by the GCD: