Decimal places
In 3.482, the 4 is tenths, the 8 is hundredths and the 2 is thousandths.
| Digit | Value |
|---|---|
| 4 | 0.4 |
| 8 | 0.08 |
| 2 | 0.002 |
Each place is ten times smaller than the one to its left.
Year 6
Identify the value of each digit in numbers given to three decimal places and multiply and divide numbers by 10, 100 and 1000 giving answers up to three decimal places
Identify decimal place values and scale decimals by powers of 10.
Lesson overview
Number - fractions, decimals and percentages
Digits to the right of the decimal point are tenths, hundredths and thousandths. Multiplying by 10, 100 or 1000 makes the number larger, while dividing by these powers of 10 makes it smaller.
Scale by 10
4.26 x 10 = 42.6.
The digits keep their place-value pattern.
Worked example
Work out 3.482 x 100.
| Start | After x100 |
|---|---|
| 3.482 | 348.2 |
- Multiplying by 100 makes the number one hundred times larger.
- The digits shift two places left in value.
- 3.482 becomes 348.2.
- So 3.482 x 100 = 348.2.
Try it
Name the decimal place first, then think about how scaling changes the number.
Question 1
In 3.482, the digit 8 is worth:
| 3 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ones | tenths | hundredths | thousandths |
Question 2
4.26 x 10 =
Question 3
7.5 ÷ 100 =
Question 4
Which digit is in the thousandths place in 6.307?
Question 5
3.482 x 100 =
Common mistakes
Watch for these when working through the lesson.
- Reading 0.08 as eight tenths instead of eight hundredths.
- Using the wrong direction when dividing by 10, 100 or 1000.
- Treating the decimal point as if it moves by itself without place-value thinking.
Related topics
These ideas fit closely with this lesson.
- Use written methods carefully when calculating with decimals.
- Recall and use equivalences between fractions, decimals and percentages.