Step 1:
The first step to converting -42538.170351567 to a fraction is to re-write -42538.170351567 in the form p/q where p and q are both positive integers. To start with, -42538.170351567 can be written as simply -42538.170351567/1 to technically be written as a fraction.
Step 2:
Next, we will count the number of fractional digits after the decimal point in -42538.170351567, which in this case is 9. For however many digits after the decimal point there are, we will multiply the numerator and denominator of -42538.170351567/1 each by 10 to the power of that many digits. So, in this case, we will multiply the numerator and denominator of -42538.170351567/1 each by 1000000000:
Step 3:
Now the last step is to simplify the fraction (if possible) by finding similar factors and cancelling them out, which leads to the following answer for -42538.170351567 as a fraction:
-INF/INF / 1