What is a decimal? :
What is a decimal? A decimal is similar to a fraction in that it is not a whole number. It is a part of a number. We use decimals most often when we are talking about money.
$13.45
How would you read this number?
$13.45 :
$13.45 Thirteen dollars and forty five cents.
Remember:
You do not need to use the ¢ when your money amount is greater than $1.
What does the .45 mean? :
What does the .45 mean? .45 is the same thing as saying 45¢ . It means that it is only a part of a dollar. It is not the whole dollar. We still need more to get the whole thing.
Why do I have to understand decimals? :
Why do I have to understand decimals? This is a good question. We need to understand what the value of each number means in order to understand what we are talking about. Here is an example:
A shirt costs $12.05, but when I wrote the number down I wrote $12.5. What is wrong with this?
Why is $12.5 wrong? :
Why is $12.5 wrong? $12.5 really is saying $12.50, because when we read how much something costs it always has two places after the decimal point. If we don’t have a number after the first number we must assume it is a zero. However, when we read $12.05, the zero is the place holder so we know it is 5¢ and not 50¢. That is a 45¢ difference. I can get a piece of gum for that amount!
Let’s Look at Some Place Value :
Let’s Look at Some Place Value
How do I read a decimal? :
How do I read a decimal? If you look at the number 12.3, you say 12 and 3 tenths.
If you look at the number and it says 12.35, you say 12 and 35 hundredths.
If you look at a number and it says 12.05, you say 12 and 5 hundredths.
Now you practice saying them!