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MULTIPLYING AND DIVIDING DECIMALS BY POWERS OF TEN
Jump right to the exercises!
See the best ALGEBRA PINBALL time for this exercise
The concepts for this exercise are summarized below.
For a complete discussion, read the text.
In any multiplication problem, the numbers being multiplied are called the
factors.
For example, in the multiplication problem 23.1 × 10 , the
factors are 23.1 and 10 .
To multiply a decimal by powers of ten, you just move the decimal point one place
to the right for each factor of ten.
The × symbol is used
for multiplication in these problems, because the centered dot is too easily confused with
the decimal point.
Here are some examples:
23.19 × 10 = 231.9 (move the decimal point one place to the right)
7.001 × 103 = 7001 (move the decimal point three places to the right)
0.03 × 104 = 300 (move the decimal point four places to the right, inserting zeros as needed)
To divide a decimal by powers of ten, you just move the decimal point one
place to the left for each factor of ten.
In this web exercise, division is denoted using the ÷ symbol.
Here are some examples:
23.1 ÷ 10 = 2.31 (move the decimal point one place to the left)
7.001 ÷ 1000 = 0.007001 (move the decimal point three places to the left, inserting zeros as needed)
Make sure you understand why this works!
For example, when 2.37 is divided by 10 , the
2 ones should turn into 2 tenths.
Moving the decimal point one place to the left accomplishes this.
Here, you will practice multiplying and dividing decimals by powers of ten.
Do NOT insert commas in your answers.
That is, type the answer to 631.47×103 as 631470 , NOT 631,470 .