Using Decimals

Review of comparing, rounding,

adding & subtracting, multiplying
& dividing decimals

created by Alane Tentoni (copyright 2007)

tentoni.weebly.com
 What is a decimal?

A decimal is a dot that

goes after the ones
column.

It separates the whole

numbers from the
partial numbers.
About Decimals
 Decimals as we
know them
were first used
by John Napier
in the late
1500s in
Scotland.
 About Decimals
In order to use decimals, you have to
understand place value.
1234.5678
th

on
hu an
te red
ou

es
nd ds
ns s
s

To the left of the decimal, all the numbers are

whole numbers. Each column is worth ten times
the column to its right.
About Decimals
 To the right of the decimal, all the
numbers are like fractions. Each
column is still worth 10 of the column to
the right.
1234.5678
te

hu

Te s a n s
t h re d
nt

n
nd
o u th
hs

th ths
ou
d

sa
nd
th
s
Reading Decimals
 Zeroes that come at the end of a decimal
don’t add or take away any value.

 .4 = .40 = .400  This is like saying “four

tenths” = “four tenths and no hundredths”
= “four tenths and no hundredths and no
thousandths.”
Reading Decimals
 HOWEVER – Zeroes that come between
the decimal and the other numbers are
VERY important!

 .4 is “four tenths” but .04 is “four

hundredths.” Would you rather have four
dimes or four cents?
 Comparing Decimals
 To tell if one decimal is
bigger than another, you
have to compare the same
column in both numbers.
 The length of the
number does NOT
matter at all!!!!
 Comparing Decimals
Compare these two numbers:
Which is larger?

.6 or .599823

All you need to do is look at the tenths

column. 6 is more than 5, so .6 is more
than .599823, even though .599823 has
more digits!
Comparing Decimals
Another comparison

Which is larger? .457 or .49?

The tenth columns are the same (both 4),

but the hundredths columns are
different. 9 is more than 5, so .49 is
more than .457.
 Rounding Decimals
 Rounding means cutting off
unnecessary digits.

 Why would you use fewer digits than

you know? Sometimes it is more
convenient to give an approximate
answer.
 Rounding Decimals
First, decide how many decimal places you
want in your answer.

Just throw away everything behind that

place. . .

Except! You will have to decide whether to

increase the last digit or leave it alone.
 Rounding Decimals
Let’s round .576 to the nearest hundredth.

.576 is somewhere between .57 and .58. Which

one is it closer to?

To decide, simply look at the digit after the

hundredths place. Is it 5 or more? If so,
round up. If not, leave it the same.
Rounding Decimals
 In our case, 6 is more than 5, so .576
should be rounded up to .58.

 What happens if you have a number

like .398 to round to the nearest
hundredth? (answer: .398 ~.40)
 Rounding Decimals
 Be Careful!! Don’t just
replace the “chopped
off” numbers with
zeroes! When you
round, you are really
reducing the number of
digits behind the
decimal!
 Rounding Decimals
Here are some numbers to round to the
nearest hundredth.
Because we are rounding to
the nearest hundredth, each of
1.3247  1.32 the numbers ends up with two
digits behind the decimal.
0.987  0.99 What if we had been rounding
4.89721  4.90 to the nearest tenth?

(answer: Rounding to the nearest tenth leaves one decimal place. In the
example: 1.3, 1.0, 4.9)
Adding & Subtracting
Decimals
 When you add decimals, line the decimals
up – one on top of the other.

 You have to add the tenths to the tenths,

the hundredths to the hundredths, and so
on – just as when you add whole
numbers, you add ones to ones and tens
to tens.
Subtracting Decimals
 When you subtract, you may have to
annex zeroes to the larger number so
you can borrow.
 Example: 35.7 – 20.94= ?
35.70 Annex a zero here so
- 20.94 you can borrow.

14.76
 Multiplying Decimals

When you multiply

decimals, you should set
the problem up just as if
you were multiplying
whole numbers –
longest number on top,
shortest on bottom.
Multiplying Decimals
 After you multiply the numbers, you are
ready to put your decimal in place.
 Count the number of digits behind the
decimal in both of the multiplied
numbers.
 Put that many total digits behind the
decimal in your answer.
Multiplying Decimals
 Here’s an example:

1.2  one digit here

x 3.9  one digit here
108
_36_
4.68  two digits here
 Multiplying Decimals
 Another example – same numbers but
with the decimals in different places.
1.2  one digit here
x .39  two digits here
108
_36_
.468  three digits here
 WHOA!
 Hang on! Did that last problem say 1.2 x .39
= .468?

Question: How can you multiply 1.2 by

something and get an answer less than 1.2?

Answer: Anytime you multiply by something

less than 1, the answer is smaller than the
number you started with.
 Multiplying Decimals
 If the answer doesn’t have enough digits, you
will have to put zeroes between the decimal
and the first number.
.12  two digits here
x .39  two digits here
108
_36_
.0468  four digits here
 Dividing Decimals
 Let’s name the parts of a division
problem so we can talk about them.

Notice that the 7

7 quotient is over the 6, not
the 5.
8 56 The quotient goes
over the LAST
digit you are
divisor dividend working with.
 Dividing Decimals
 Dividing decimals is a lot like
dividing whole numbers, but we
need a way to get the decimals
in the right place in the answer.

 Before we start dividing decimals,

let’s look at dividing some whole
numbers.
 Dividing Decimals

42 ÷ 6 = 7 And 420 ÷ 60 = 7

In the second equation, both 42 and 6 have

been multiplied by ten. Because both
numbers were multiplied by the same
thing, the quotient did not change.
Dividing Decimals
 We can use that trick to divide numbers
with decimals.
 Because moving the decimal to the right is
just like multiplying by ten, if we move the
decimal the same number of places in
both numbers, our quotient stays the
same.
 Dividing Decimals
Here’s an example: .132 ÷ .12:

.12 .132
If these were whole numbers, you would say, “How many
times will 12 go into 13?” But it’s harder to think of .12
and .13.

If you could move the decimal of the divisor (.12) over 2

places, you would have a whole number. You can do
that as long as you move the decimal of the dividend
over 2 places as well.
 Dividing Decimals
So now our problem looks like this:
1.1 NOTICE: The decimal moved
12. 13.2 straight up from the dividend to
the quotient.
-12
12 Lining up the number in the
-1 2 quotient and the dividend is VERY
important because if they are
0 wrong, your decimal will be in the
wrong place.
ALWAYS Check!
 Now that we have an answer, we need to check our
work.
 Multiply the quotient by the divisor. You should get
the dividend back.

1.1 1 digit
x.12 2 digits
22
11
.132 3 digits
 Hang on!
 How can we take two
small numbers like .
12 and .132 and
divide them and get
a bigger number?
Doesn’t dividing
always mean you get
a smaller number?
 Dividing Decimals
 Another way to look at .132 ÷ .12 is to
say, “How many groups of .12 does it
take to make .132?”

.12 + .012 = .132

 It takes one and a little more, so our

answer of 1.1 looks reasonable.
 Dividing Decimals
 Let’s try another example:

1.25 ÷ .4 .4 1.25

First of all, let’s estimate how many .4’s it would

take to make 1.25

.4 + .4 + .4 = 1.2 so it will take 3 groups of .4 plus

a little more to make 1.25
Dividing Decimals
3.1 First, move the decimal in the
divisor and the dividend.
4. 12.5
-12 In this case, we have pulled
05 down all our numbers, but we
-4 still have a remainder.
1 DO NOT tack your remainder
onto the end of your answer!
 Annexing Zeroes
 Remember that adding zeroes at the end of a
number does not change its value.
12.5 = 12.50000

 If you need to keep dividing, just annex zeroes,

pull down & keep dividing until you get a
remainder of zero (or until you see a pattern.)
Annexing Zeroes-
3.125 When you get a
4. 12.5000 remainder of zero,
-12 you can stop pulling
05 down zeroes.
-4
10
-8
20
-20
0
 Check Your Work!
The original problem was 1.25 ÷ .4.
The quotient was 3.125

Check: 3.125 3 digits

x .4 1 digit
1.2500 4 digits

Since 1.2500 = 1.25, our answer is correct.

 Dividing Decimals
 Sometimes when we divide, the quotient of
the two numbers makes a pattern that
never stops!

 This is called a “repeating decimal.”

 The kind that does stop is called a

“terminating decimal.” If you can work your
problem to a remainder of zero, you have a
terminating decimal.
 Dividing Decimals
Tip:

Divisors that have factors of all

twos or fives will definitely
terminate.
(like 2, 4, 5, 8, 10. . .)

Everything else can repeat – it

depends on the dividend.
Dividing Decimals
 Here is a repeating decimal.

.3 5.56 First, move the decimal.

.
Put the decimal on the
3. 55.6 quotient line.
 Repeating Decimals

18.5 When you’ve pulled

3. 55.6 down all your
-3 numbers and you still
25 have a remainder, you
-24
need to annex zeroes
16
-15 and keep going.
1
Repeating Decimals

18.533 From here on, no

3. 55.6000 matter how many
-3 zeroes we pull down,
25 we will always get 10
-24
and the next number
16
-15 will always be 3. The
3 is repeating.
10
-9
10
Repeating Decimals
 To show that a number repeats, place a
bar over all the numbers that form the
pattern.
 In our example, only the 3 was
repeating:
18.53
Get the “point”?
 Decimals are a pretty convenient way to
represent fractional values.
 Decimal rules are not difficult, but even
though you know the rules, you must
practice them until they are second nature!