Decimal Fractions Practice Problems & Meaning Worksheets

Master decimal fractions with interactive practice problems. Learn place value, reading decimals, and real-world applications through step-by-step examples and exercises.

📚Practice Decimal Fractions and Build Mathematical Confidence
  • Identify place values in decimal numbers (tenths, hundredths, thousandths)
  • Read and write decimal numbers using proper mathematical terminology
  • Place decimal points correctly to represent specific place values
  • Convert between fraction and decimal representations of numbers
  • Apply decimal concepts to real-world situations like temperature and weight
  • Recognize equivalent decimal forms with trailing zeros

Understanding Decimal Fractions' Meaning

Complete explanation with examples

The decimal number is a way to represent a simple fraction or a number that is not whole.
The decimal point (or decimal comma in some areas) divides the number in the following way:

A1 - Meaning of the decimal number

For example, when checking a fever, on the thermometer there is a number like 37.537.5 or 36.436.4.

The point that separates the figures is the decimal point, therefore, the number in question is a decimal number.
When we weigh ourselves, we step on the scale and, also in this case, the very same decimal number appears!
The weight is shown with the decimal point and expresses, in a clear and simple way, a number that is not whole.

Detailed explanation

Practice Decimal Fractions' Meaning

Test your knowledge with 28 quizzes

Which figure represents seven tenths?

Examples with solutions for Decimal Fractions' Meaning

Step-by-step solutions included
Exercise #1

Determine the numerical value of the shaded area:

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, let's analyze the shaded area in terms of grid squares:

  • Step 1: The top rectangle in the grid is completely filled. Let's count the shaded squares horizontally: There are 10 squares across aligned vertically in 1 row, giving 11 as the shaded area.
  • Step 2: The bottom rectangle is partially filled. Observe it spans 66 squares horizontally by 11 square height in the grid row. The shaded area will, therefore, be 0.60.6 as it spans only 60%60\% of the horizontal extent.
  • Step 3: Add both shaded areas of the rectangles from step 1 and step 2: 11 (top) and 0.60.6 (bottom).

Thus, the total shaded area is 1+0.6=1.61 + 0.6 = 1.6.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is 1.61.6.

Answer:

1.6

Exercise #2

Determine the numerical value of the shaded area:

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow a few simple steps to calculate the shaded area by counting strips and converting to a decimal:

  • Step 1: Identify the total number of vertical strips in the entire rectangle. From the diagram, there are 10 strips in total.
  • Step 2: Count the number of shaded vertical strips. According to the diagram, 5 strips are shaded.
  • Step 3: Write the fraction of the shaded area relative to the total area. The fraction is 510\frac{5}{10}.
  • Step 4: Simplify the fraction, which is already simplified, and then convert it to a decimal. 510=0.5\frac{5}{10} = 0.5.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is 0.5 0.5 .

Answer:

0.5

Exercise #3

Determine the numerical value of the shaded area:

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Identify the total number of divisions in the grid.
  • Step 2: Count the number of shaded divisions.
  • Step 3: Calculate the fraction of the shaded area relative to the total.

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: The grid is divided into 10 equal vertical columns.
Step 2: Of these columns, 1 column is shaded.
Step 3: Since there are 10 columns in total, the shaded area represents 110\frac{1}{10} of the total area.

Finally, the fraction 110\frac{1}{10} can be expressed as the decimal 0.10.1.

Therefore, the numerical value of the shaded area is 0.10.1.

Answer:

0.1

Exercise #4

Determine the numerical value of the shaded area:

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, let's follow the outlined plan:

  • Step 1: Count the number of shaded sections.
  • Step 2: Count the total number of sections in the rectangle.
  • Step 3: Express the number of shaded sections as a fraction of the total sections.
  • Step 4: Convert this fraction to a decimal to find the numerical value.

Now, let's apply these steps:
Step 1: The given diagram shows that there are 4 vertical stripes shaded.
Step 2: The total number of vertical stripes (including both shaded and unshaded) is 10.
Step 3: The fraction of shaded area is 410\frac{4}{10}.
Step 4: Convert 410\frac{4}{10} to a decimal. This equals 0.40.4.

Therefore, the numerical value of the shaded area is 0.4.

Answer:

0.4

Exercise #5

Determine the number of ones in the following number:

0.07

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll examine the given decimal number, 0.070.07, to identify how many '1's it contains.

Let's break down the number 0.070.07:

  • The digit to the left of the decimal is 00, which is the ones place. It is not '1'.
  • The first digit after the decimal point is 00, which represents tenths. This is also not '1'.
  • The next digit is 77, which represents hundredths. This digit is also not '1'.

None of the digits in the number 0.070.07 are equal to '1'.

Therefore, the number of ones in 0.070.07 is 0.

Answer:

0

Video Solution

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a decimal fraction and how does it differ from a regular fraction?

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A decimal fraction is a way to represent parts of a whole using a decimal point instead of a fraction bar. While a regular fraction like 3/4 uses a numerator and denominator, a decimal fraction like 0.75 uses place value positions after the decimal point to show the same value.

How do you read decimal numbers correctly?

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There are two ways: 1) Read each digit separately with 'point' (e.g., 3.56 as 'three point five six'), or 2) Read the whole part, say 'and,' then read the decimal part based on the last digit's place value (e.g., 3.56 as 'three and fifty-six hundredths').

What do the positions after the decimal point represent?

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The first position after the decimal point represents tenths, the second represents hundredths, and the third represents thousandths. For example, in 4.586, the 5 is in the tenths place, 8 is in the hundredths place, and 6 is in the thousandths place.

Why can you add zeros to the end of a decimal without changing its value?

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Adding zeros to the right of the last digit in a decimal doesn't change the value because those positions represent smaller and smaller fractional parts that equal zero. For example, 0.5 = 0.50 = 0.500 because the additional zeros don't add any actual value.

Where do we use decimal numbers in everyday life?

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Decimal numbers appear frequently in daily life including: • Body temperature readings (37.5°C) • Weight measurements on scales • Money amounts ($12.45) • Sports statistics and measurements • Cooking measurements and recipes

How do you place a decimal point to make a digit represent a specific place value?

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To make a digit represent tenths, place the decimal point immediately before that digit. For hundredths, place it two positions before, and for thousandths, three positions before. For example, to make 9 represent tenths in 76593, write it as 765.93.

What's the difference between tens and tenths in decimal numbers?

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Tens are whole number place values to the left of the decimal point (10, 20, 30), while tenths are fractional parts to the right of the decimal point (0.1, 0.2, 0.3). The 's' ending indicates fractional parts: tenths (1/10), hundredths (1/100), thousandths (1/1000).

How do decimal fractions help in understanding parts of a whole?

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Decimal fractions make it easy to express and calculate with parts of a whole using our base-10 number system. Instead of working with complex fractions, decimals let us use familiar place value concepts to represent precise measurements and calculations in science, finance, and daily life.

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