Practical Business Math Procedures,

Thirteenth Edition
Jeffrey Slater and Sharon Wittry

Chapter 3
Decimals

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 Learning Unit Objectives

LU 3-1: Rounding Decimals; Fraction & Decimal Conversions

1. Explain the place values of whole numbers and decimals; round
decimals.
2. Convert decimal fractions to decimals, proper fractions to decimals,
mixed numbers to decimals, and pure and mixed decimals to decimal
fractions.
LU 3-2: Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying, and Dividing Decimals
3. Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals.
4. Complete decimal applications in foreign currency.
5. Multiply and divide decimals by shortcut methods.

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Table 3-1: Bag of M&M’S®
Decimal
Color Fraction
 hundredth 
18
Yellow .33
55
10
Red .18
55
9
Blue .16
55
7
Orange .13
55
6
Brown .11
55
5
Green .09
55
55
Total 1.00
55
=1

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Decimal Place-Value Chart

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 Rounding Decimals (1 of 2)

Example: Round to the

3 Steps nearest hundredth.
Step 1. Identify the place value of the
digit you want to round  .3272727
Step 2. If the digit to the right of the
identified digit in Step 1 is 5 or
more, increase the identified digit  .3272727
by 1. If less than 5, do not change
the identified digit.
Step 3. Drop all digits to the right of the
identified digit.  .33

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 Rounding Decimals (2 of 2)

Round to nearest dollar: $166.39  $166

Round to nearest cent: $1,196.885  $1,196.89
Round to nearest hundredth: $38.563  $38.56
Round to nearest thousandth: $1,432.9981  $1,432.998

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 Converting Decimal Fractions to Decimals

2 Steps
1. Count the number of zeros Verbal Form Fraction  Decimal # of places
in the denominator. Three tenths
3
.3 1
10
2. Place the numerator of the
3
decimal fraction to the Three hundredths .03 2
100
right of the decimal point
3
the same number of places Three thousandths  .003 3
1,000
as you have zeros in the
3
denominator. Do not go Three ten thousandths .0003 4
10,000
over the total number of
denominator zeros.

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 Converting Proper Fractions
to Decimals
2 Steps
1. Divide the numerator of the
fraction by its denominator. .75  Decimal
3
(If necessary, add a decimal  4 3.00
point and zeros to the 4
28
number in the numerator.)
20
2. Round if necessary.
20
0

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 Converting Mixed Numbers
to Decimals
2 Steps
1. Convert the fractional .4
2
part of the mixed 8 
Step 1
 5 2.0
number to a decimal. 5
20
2. Add the converted
fractional part to the 0
8 + .4 = 8 .4
whole number. Step2

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 Converting Pure Decimals to Decimal
Fractions
.24
• Step 1. Place the digits to the right of the decimal point in the
numerator of the fraction. Omit the decimal point.  24
• Step 2. Put a 1 in the denominator of the fraction.  24
1
• Places: The number of digits to the right of the decimal
point.  2
• Step 3. Add the same number of zeros (as the places) to the
denominator of the fraction. For mixed decimals, add the
fraction to the whole number.  24
100

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 Converting Mixed Decimals to
Decimal Fractions
17.45
• Step 1. Place the digits to the right of the decimal point in
the numerator of the fraction. Omit the decimal point. 45
• Step 2. Put a 1 in the denominator of the fraction.  45
1
• Places: The number of digits to the right of the decimal
point.  2
45
17
100
• Step 3. Add the same number of zeros (as the places) to the
denominator of the fraction. For mixed decimals, add the
45
fraction to the whole number.  17
100
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 Adding Decimals

Add: 4 + 7.3 + 36.139 + .0007 + 8.22

3 Steps
1. Vertically write the numbers so
that the decimal points align.
4.0000
Place additional zeros to the right 7.3000
of the decimal point if needed.
2. Add the digits starting with the 36.1390
right column and moving to the
left. .0007
3. Align the decimal point in the 8.2200
answer with the above decimal 55.6597
points.

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 Subtracting Decimals

Subtract: 45.3 − 15.273

3 Steps
1. Vertically write the numbers so CHECK with Addition :
that the decimal points align.
2 9 10
Place additional zeros to the right
  0
     45.30 15.2733
of the decimal point if needed.
   15.273 + 30.027
2. Subtract the digits starting with
the right column and moving to       30.027 = 45.300
the left.
3. Align the decimal point in the
answer with the above decimal
points.

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 Multiplying Decimals
3 Steps 8.52  2 decimal places 
1. Multiply the numbers as whole × 6.7  1 decimal place 
numbers, ignoring the decimal
points. 5964
2. Count and total the number of 5112
decimal places in the multiplier and 57084  57.084
 3 decimal places 
multiplicand.
2.36
3. Starting at the right of the product,
count to the left the number of × .016
decimal places from Step 2 and place 1416
the decimal. If the total number of
236
places is greater than the places in
Need to add zero
the product, insert zeros in front of 3776  .03776
the product.  5 decimal places 

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 Dividing Decimals
3 Steps
2.5 32.800
1. Make the divisor a whole number by
moving the decimal point to the 25. 328.00
right.
13.12
2. Move the decimal point in the 25. 328.00
dividend to the right the same 25
number of places as in the divisor
(Step 1). If there are not enough 78
places, add zeros to the right of the 75
dividend. 30
3. Place the decimal point in the 25
quotient above the new decimal
point in the dividend. Divide as usual. 50
50
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 Decimal Applications in Foreign Currency

The price of a new Apple watch can be bought in Canada for $700 U.S.
dollars. Using the currencies table from the Wall Street Journal let us see
what the Apple watch would sell for in Canadian dollars. In the table on
page 78, 1 U.S. Dollar equals $1.2587 Canadian dollars . To find the cost in
Canadian dollars:
1. You multiply the number of U.S. dollars ($700) times $1.2587.
$700 × $1.2587 = $881.09
2. To check your calculations, take the $881.09 Canadian dollars cost of
the Apple watch and multiply it by $0.7945. This is what the Canadian
dollar is worth against the U.S. dollar. It equals $700.03 (this amount is
off .03 due to rounding).
$881.09 × $0.7945 = $700.03

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Shortcuts for Multiples of 10 Multiplication
Step 1. Count the zeros in the multiplier.
Step 2. Move the decimal point in the multiplicand the same number of
places to the right as you have zeros in the multiplier.

Access the text alternative for slide images

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 Shortcuts for Multiples of 10 Division

Step 1. Count the zeros in the divisor.

Step 2. Move the decimal point the same number of spaces to
the left.

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 Textbook Problem 3-8

Problem Statement:
Round 75.9913 as indicated: LU 3-1(1)

Solution: Tenth Hundredth Thousandth

76.0 76.99 75.991

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 Textbook Problem 3-16

Problem Statement:
Convert the following decimal fractions to a decimal (round to
nearest hundredth as needed): LU 3-1(2)
979
1000
Solution:
979
1000 1. Count zeros: 3
.979 2. Move decimal 3 places to left

.98 3. Round to nearest hundredth

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 Textbook Problem 3-23

Problem Statement:
Convert the following decimal to a fraction. Do not reduce to lowest terms. LU 3-1(2)
.825
Solution:
Step 1. Place the digits to the right of the decimal point in the numerator of the fraction.
Omit the decimal point. 825
Step 2. Put a 1 in the denominator of the fraction: 825
1

Step 3. There are 3 places to the right of the decimal point. Add the same number of
zeros to the denominator of the fraction.

825
1, 000

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 Textbook Problem 3-27

Problem Statement:
Convert the following to a mixed number. Do not reduce to lowest terms. LU 3-1(2)
28.48
Solution:
Step 1. Place the digits to the right of the decimal point in the numerator of the fraction.
Omit the decimal point. 48

Step 2. Put a 1 in the denominator of the fraction. 48

1

Step 3. There are 2 places to the right of the decimal point. Add the same number of zeros
to the denominator of the fraction. 48
100
For mixed decimals,
48
add the fraction to the whole number. 28
100

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 Textbook Problem 3-79

Problem Statement:
Jill Horn went to Japan and bought an animation cel of Spongebob. The price was
25,000 yen. Using the exchange rates given in the WSJ’s Currencies and
Commodities table on page 78 of the textbook, what is the price in U.S. dollars?
Check your answer. LU 3-2(2)

Solution:

25,000 yen × $.009087 = $227.18

Check:

$227.18 × 110.05 = $25,000.61 (Note: The number is off due to rounding.)

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