Understanding Decimals

How do you write a decimal?

A decimal is like a fraction because it describes part of a whole.

A decimal is a number with digits to the right of the decimal point. Those digits represent an amount that is less than one whole.

hundreds	tens	ones	.	tenths	hundredths	thousandths
			.

Example 1: To write a tenths place decimal:

• First, make a fraction telling that there are 3 soccer balls out of 10 total balls.

  

• Then, write the decimal for , or three tenths. Since  is less than 1 whole, a 0 is placed in the ones place followed by a decimal point. A 3 belongs in the tenths place to the right of the decimal point.

ones	.	tenths
0	.	3