Division of Decimal Numbers

๐Ÿ†Practice dividing decimal fractions

To divide decimal numbers, we will carry out the following steps:

First step - We will make the decimal point in the dividend (the number we want to divide) disappear by moving it to the right the necessary number of places until it is completely "gone".
Second step - In the divisor (the second number in the operation, that is, the number by which it is divided) we will move the decimal point to the right the same number of places that we moved the first number (even if this number of steps is not enough to make it disappear)
Third step - We will solve the "new" exercise (with the "new" numbers).

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Test yourself on dividing decimal fractions!

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\( 4.2:0.1= \)

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Division of Decimal Numbers

Dividing decimal numbers is a bit more complicated than dividing whole numbers, but, if you follow these steps in order, we're sure you'll manage!
Objective: The elimination of the decimal point from the dividend.
In division exercises of decimal numbers, we can elegantly eliminate the decimal point...
All we have to do is shift it to the right the same number of places in both numbers.


What does it mean?

Let's look at the exercise 1.6:0.4=ย 1.6:0.4=ย 
We will always first focus on the dividend โ€“ In our exercise the 1.61.6
To make the decimal point "disappear" we should move it to the right by one place.
We move it and obtain 1616.
Let's not forget to perform the same operation on the divisor 0.40.4
Observe - If in the dividend we have moved the decimal point only one place to the right, also in the divisor the point can take only one step.
The number of places the decimal point is moved must be identical in both numbers!

We do it and obtain 44
The new exercise we now have is 16:4=16:4=
And its result, clearly, is 44. The same result as our original exercise.
You wonder how can this be?
As long as we have carried out the same operation on both numbers in the exercise, it is valid, and the exercise doesn't really change, but is represented in a different way.


Another exercise

0.25:0.05=0.25:0.05=

Solution:
We will proceed step by step:
We will focus on the dividend 0.250.25
Let's see. How many places do we need to move the decimal point to the right for it to "disappear"? 22 steps
We will move it two steps and obtain 2525
Now let's do the same with the divisor 0.050.05
Let's move the decimal point 22 steps to the right and we will obtain 55
Our new exercise is: 25:5=525:5=5


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Exercise for advanced level

0.36:0.6=0.36:0.6=
Solution:
We will focus on the dividend 0.360.36
Let's ask, how many steps to the right must the decimal point move to disappear? Two steps.
Let's move it 22 steps to the right and we will get 3636.
Now let's do it with the divisor 0.60.6
Move the decimal point 22 steps to the right.
Attention! We know it's very tempting to move it only one step and get to 66 but that would be a huge mistake!
We must move the point the same number of steps as we have moved it in the dividend for the result to be correct.
Let's move the decimal point two places and we will get 6060.

Our new exercise will be 36:60=36:60=
We will obtain: 36/6036/60
Let's simplify, we will get: 6/10=3/56/10 = 3/5


Another exercise

0.7:1=0.7:1=

Solution
Let's proceed according to the rules we have learned:
We will focus on removing the decimal point from the dividend 0.70.7
We will move the decimal point one place to the right and obtain 77
Now, let's move to the divisor 11.
Note: The original number does not have a decimal point, but we will add it and then place several zeros to not change its value.
We will consider 11 as 1.01.0
Now, let's move the decimal point one place to the right and we will obtain 1010
Our new exercise isย 7:107:10
We can leave it as is, as a fraction 7/107/10 or else, solve it according to the rules of long division.


Examples and exercises with solutions for dividing decimal numbers

Exercise #1

4.2:0.1= 4.2:0.1=

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we will follow these structured steps:

  • Step 1: Identify the division operation: 4.2รท0.1 4.2 \div 0.1 .
  • Step 2: Convert the operation into a simpler form by eliminating decimals from the divisor.
  • Step 3: Multiply both the dividend 4.2 4.2 and the divisor 0.1 0.1 by 10 to shift the decimal point.
  • Step 4: After multiplying, the operation becomes 42รท1 42 \div 1 .
  • Step 5: Calculate the result of 42รท1 42 \div 1 , which equals 42.

Now, letโ€™s work through the solution with respect to each step:

Step 1: We recognize the operation is 4.2รท0.1 4.2 \div 0.1 . This indicates we need to divide 4.2 by 0.1.

Step 2: To facilitate easier calculation, we aim to eliminate the decimal in the divisor. We can achieve this by multiplying 0.1 by 10, turning it into the whole number 1.

Step 3: When we multiply the divisor 0.1 0.1 by 10, we must do the same to the dividend 4.2 4.2 to maintain the equality of the operation. Multiplying 4.2 by 10 shifts its decimal point one position to the right, resulting in 42.

Step 4: The division now reads 42รท1 42 \div 1 . This is straightforward since dividing any number by 1 gives the number itself.

Step 5: Therefore, calculating 42รท1 42 \div 1 , we find that the result is 42.

Consequently, the solution to the problem is 42 42 .

Answer

42 42

Exercise #2

0.36:0.1= 0.36:0.1=

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve the problem 0.36รท0.1 0.36 \div 0.1 , we use the method of converting to whole numbers as follows:

  • Step 1: Multiply both 0.36 and 0.1 by 10 to get rid of the decimals. This gives us 3.6 3.6 and 1 1 .
  • Step 2: Perform the division of 3.6 3.6 by 1 1 , which simply results in 3.6 3.6 .

Thus, the result of 0.36รท0.1 0.36 \div 0.1 is 3.6 3.6 .

Answer

3.6 3.6

Exercise #3

3.36:0.1= 3.36:0.1=

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve the division of two decimal numbers, we start by converting the divisor, 0.1, into a whole number to simplify the calculation.

  • Step 1: Multiply both the dividend and the divisor by 10 to eliminate the decimal in the divisor. This gives us:

3.36ร—10=33.6 3.36 \times 10 = 33.6 and 0.1ร—10=1 0.1 \times 10 = 1

  • Step 2: The division is now transformed from 3.360.1 \frac{3.36}{0.1} to 33.61 \frac{33.6}{1} .

Step 3: Dividing 33.6 by 1 results simply in 33.6.

There's no change needed to any number beyond this step, as the division by 1 does not alter the value.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is 33.6 33.6 .

Answer

33.6 33.6

Exercise #4

1.3:0.1= 1.3:0.1=

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve the problem of 1.3รท0.1 1.3 \div 0.1 , we need to simplify the division process by eliminating the decimal point in the divisor using the following steps:

  • Step 1: Recognize that dividing by 0.1 is equivalent to multiplying by 10. This is because 0.1 is the same as 110 \frac{1}{10} , so dividing by 0.1 is the same as multiplying by 10.
  • Step 2: Multiply both the dividend (1.3) and the divisor (0.1) by 10 to move the decimal point one place to the right for each number. This changes 1.3 to 13 and 0.1 to 1.
  • Step 3: Perform the division 13รท1 13 \div 1 . As dividing by 1 leaves any number unchanged, we have the result 13.

Therefore, the solution to the problem 1.3รท0.1 1.3 \div 0.1 is 13 13 .

Answer

13 13

Exercise #5

0.7:0.1= 0.7:0.1=

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve the problem 0.7รท0.10.7 \div 0.1, we proceed with the following steps:

  • Step 1: Convert the decimals to whole numbers. Multiply both 0.70.7 and 0.10.1 by 10 to remove the decimals. This gives us 77 and 11 respectively.
  • Step 2: Divide the resulting whole numbers. Hence, 7รท1=77 \div 1 = 7.
  • Step 3: The division is straightforward as the divisor is now a whole number.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is 77.

Answer

7 7

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