Decimals
⭐ MasteredDecimals use a point to show parts smaller than one. 0.5 is the same as one half and 0.25 is one quarter.
Money uses decimals: $2.50 means two dollars and fifty cents.
All about Decimals
A decimal number uses a decimal point to show parts of a whole that are smaller than one. The digits after the point are tenths, hundredths and thousandths. So 0. 5 means five tenths, which is the same as one half.
Decimals are closely linked to fractions. 0. Decimals make it easy to compare money and measurements because they follow the same place value system as whole numbers.
For example, 0.
£2. 50 means two pounds and fifty pence, and 1. 75 metres is one metre and seventy-five centimetres. Lining up the decimal points is the key to adding and subtracting decimals correctly.
🎮 Try it yourself!
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👀 What the animation shows
This animation shows a bar or a grid divided into tenths and hundredths. Watch how the shaded part matches the decimal number, so 0.5 fills half the bar and 0.25 fills a quarter.
Real-life uses of Decimals
- Reading prices like £2.50 or $3.75 in shops
- Reading a thermometer that shows 36.5 degrees
- Measuring a jump in metres, such as 1.25 m
Frequently asked questions about Decimals
How do you compare decimals?
Line up the decimal points and compare digit by digit from left to right. 0.7 is bigger than 0.65 because 7 tenths is more than 6 tenths.
What is the same as 0.5?
0.5 is the same as one half, or 5 tenths.
Why do we need decimals?
They let us show amounts between whole numbers, such as the price of a sweet that costs 75 pence or a height of 1.4 metres.