Errors and Misconceptions in Decimals

1. Place Value of the Decimal System

Students often have an incomplete understanding of place value (Bell Swan and
Taylor, 1981)
Example 1: What is the place value of the digit 9 in 721.094?
Some students tend to give tenth or hundred as answer instead of hundredth.

2. Conversion of fraction to decimals

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Students tend to convert unit fractions (i.e., fractions of the form 𝑛) to decimals
using the denominator as reference.

𝟏 1
Example 1: = 0.5; 4 = 0.4 or 1.4
𝟓
This common misconception has been observed in previous research (Sackur
Grisvard & Leonard 1985) as well as in the MES National Assessment Grade 9 in 2013
Question 3(b).

Other types of conversion misconceptions:

Figure 1: Other types of conversion misconceptions, chan (2009).

3. Comparing and Ordering

‘’longer-is-larger’’ misconception (Stacey and Steinle, 1998)
Sackur-Grisvard and Leonard (1985) found that some students systematically chose
the number with more digits after the decimal point as the larger. This is called the
whole-number rule.

Example 1: Students say that 4.125 is greater than 4.7 because the whole number
125 is larger than 7.

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Example 2: Order these numbers, smallest first: 21.2, 1.112, 3.1, 11.4, 0.2112
Child’s answer: 3.1, 11.2, 21.2, 1.112, 0.2112.
The child has relied on a common generalisation that, ‘the larger the number of
digits, the larger the size of the number.’

4. Addition and Subtraction

Adding or subtracting without considering place value, or starting at the right as
with whole numbers.

Example 1: 4.15 + 0.1 = 4.16

Example 2: 12 – 0.1 = 11

Students tend to misplace the decimal point when adding or subtracting two decimal
numbers.

Figure 2: Grade 7 student error in adding and subtracting two decimal numbers.

5. Multiplication and Division

Students tend to misplace the decimal point when multiplying two decimal
numbers.

Example 1: 3.01 x 0.02 =

3.01
x 0.02
----------
602
Figure 3: Grade 7 student error in multiplying two
Decimal numbers

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Examiner’s report: Cambridge O level November 2013 Paper 1 Question 2 (b)”Most
students obtained the figures 602 instead of 0.0602, but not all placed the decimal
point correctly.”
Example 2: 6.3 ÷ 0.09 = 0.7

Figure 4: Grade 7 student error in dividing

Two decimal numbers

Examiner’s report: Cambridge O level November 2010 Paper 1 Question 2 (a): “Some
students gave answers such as 0.7”

6. Decimal places

Example 1: Write down 6.387 correct to two decimal places.

6.387 = 638.7 (2 dp)

Examiner’s report: National Assessment Grade 9 2013, Question 2(c): “some

students shifted the decimal point by 2 digits to the right, thus obtaining the
wrong answer 638.7”.
Example 2: Write down 7.996 correct to two decimal places.
7.996 = 7.10 (2 d.p).

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Recommended Teaching Strategies & Models
To avoid and address such misconceptions, these teaching strategies may be used, namely:
1. Lattice Multiplication for Decimals.

2. Varying the Representations using partial products and grid paper.

Figure 5: A student’s error.

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 Figure 6: Decimal Multiplication Using Grid Paper.
Using a rectangular array and partial products can enable students’ estimation strategies
and visually show the incorrect reasoning behind a common error.
3. Posing Purposeful Tasks and Questions

The learning goal of these strings is more about relationships. These can be carried
out in class leading to group conversations such as it is not always necessary that
multiplication makes bigger and division makes smaller.

References:
1. Bell Swan and Taylor, 1981. “Nonconservation of Multiplication and Division
Involving Decimals.” Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, vol. 18, no. 1, 1987,
pp. 37–45. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/749535.

2. Sackur-Grisvard, c., & Leonard, E (1985). Intermediate cognitive organizations in the

process of learning a mathematical concept: The order of positive decimal numbers,
Cognition and Instruction, 2(2),157-174.

3. Stacey, K., & Steinle, V. (1998). Refining the classification of students’ interpretations of
decimal notation. Hiroshima Journal of Mathematics Education, 6, 49-69.

4. America’s Choice: Mathematics navigator; Errors & Misconceptions.

5. Mauritius Examination Syndicate (2013) National Assessment Grade 9.

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 http://mes.intnet.mu/English/Pages/Examinations/secondary/form_three/Form-III-Question-
Papers.aspx

6. Cambridge International Examinations 2010, 2013; O level Mathematics syllabus

D Paper 1.
https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/

7. Jong, C., Thomas, J.P., Fisher, M.H., Schack, E.O., Davis, M.M., & Bickett, M.E. (2017).
Decimal Dilemmas: Interpreting and Addressing Misconceptions.

8. https://emccss.everydaymathonline.com/pdf/student/algorithms_handbook/print_reso
urces/Multiplication_Algorithms/Lattice_Multiplication_with_Decimals_p_57.pdf