Unit 3: Decimals Intrtoduction

A decimal represents a part or fraction of a whole number. Decimal numbers are parts of 10s, 100s, 1,000s and so on. In other words, decimals are multiples of ten. The decimal point represents the boundary between whole numbers and decimal numbers.

 

 

Look at $3,684.26 as an example. We know this amount to be three-thousand, six-hundred, eighty-four dollars and twenty-six cents. The decimal point is the and if we write the number in words. Any number to the left of the decimal point is always a whole number, and any number to the right of the decimal point is a decimal number. Without a whole number, a decimal number is always less than 1. As an example, 0.98 and 0.321 are less than 1. 

Health care workers include a zero to the left of the decimal point for any decimal that does not include a whole number. This signals the reader that the dose, measurement or amount is less than 1. The zero also helps prevent errors caused by misreading a decimal number. Note that this zero does not change the value of the number.

 

Practice

Write the following decimals in word form using the above chart:

1. 0.7

2. 0.89

3. 0.05

4. 4.3

5. 150.075

6. 34.009

7. 125.023

8. 47.9

9. 18.08

10. 0.126

 

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