1. The problem is to express the decimal 0.285 as a fraction and potentially as a mixed number. 2. First, write 0.285 as a fraction with denominator 1000 because it has three decimal places: $$0.285 = \frac{285}{1000}$$ 3. Simplify the fraction by finding the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 285 and 1000. 4. The factors of 285 are 1, 3, 5, 15, 19, 57, 95, 285. 5. The factors of 1000 are 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 20, 25, 40, 50, 100, 125, 200, 250, 500, 1000. 6. The greatest common factor of 285 and 1000 is 5. 7. Divide numerator and denominator by 5: $$\frac{285 \div 5}{1000 \div 5} = \frac{57}{200}$$ 8. Since 0.285 is less than 1, the mixed number form is the same as the simple fraction: $$\frac{57}{200}$$ 9. Final answer: Decimal 0.285 equals the simplified fraction $$\frac{57}{200}$$ and as a mixed number it is just $$\frac{57}{200}$$ (no whole number part).