Just like each digit in a whole number, each digit behind the decimal point also has a name. You can see in the visual that the names go in the same order in the opposite direction from the whole number place value names. It is important to learn these place value names so you will know where to round when someone asks you to round to certain place value or precision. Understanding these names will also help you with fractions.
In some places around the world, a comma (,) is used to show where the decimal point is in a number. In other places, a period (.) is used for the decimal point. In this course, we will use a period to mark all decimal points and we will sometimes use commas to group the numbers to the left of the decimal point for easier reading. If you are used to a comma as your decimal point, be sure to pay close attention to this detail.
Additional Resources
- Khan Academy: Decimals as words (05:37 mins)
Practice Problems
1. Consider the number 0.261354. For each of the following digits, give its place value:(
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
e. 5
(
a. 6
b. 7
c. 8
d. 9
e. 0
Need More Help?
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