Fundamentals of Mathematics Engr. Khrisna Mae C.

Gelogo, ECE, LPT

Unit 7: DECIMALS
• Decimals are common fractions written in a different way.
• These decimals are expressed as fractions whose
denominators are 10, 100, 1,000, etc.
A. PLACE VALUE CHART
• The exponents of 10 are either positive, zero or negative.
• A decimal point is used to separate digits whose place value
have negative exponents of 10 from the rest of the digits in
the numeral. This point is known as separatrix.
• When a whole and a decimal are separated by this point, this
point is read as “and”.
B. Reading and Writing Decimals
• Numerals are read from left to right just like whole
numbers.
Steps to read a decimal:
1. Read the whole number.
2. The separatrix (the decimal point) is read as “and”
3. The number after the decimal point is read as a whole
number and the place value of the last digit is read at the
end.
Examples:
a) 18.25 is read as eighteen and twenty-five hundredths.
b) 924.03964 is read as nine hundred twenty-four and three
thousand nine hundred sixty-four hundred-thousandths.
C. Ordering Decimals
1. Compare the numbers in the same place value.
2. The bigger number in the same place value indicates
bigger decimal fraction, as long as other digits to the left
are the same.
Examples:
a) 0.08 and 0.12 → The number one in the tenths place is
bigger than zero. Therefore; 0.12 > 0.08
b) 5.312 and 4.186 → The number 5 in the ones place is
bigger that the number 4. Therefore; 5.312 > 4.186
c) 1.038 and 1.032 → The number 8 in the thousandths
place is bigger than 2. Therefore; 1.038 > 1.032
D. Scientific Notation
• A manner of expressing numbers which are very large can
be expressed as decimals and powers of 10.
• A numeral is in a scientific notation if it is expressed as a
product of a number between 1 and 10 and a power of 10.
• The exponent in the powers of 10 represents the number
of places the decimal point has moved.
Examples:
a) 52,000,000 = 5.2 x 107
b) 634,000,000,000 = 6.34 x 1011
c) 0.00000082 = 8.2 x 10-7
d) 0.000000000363 = 3.63 x 10-10
Check your progress:
I. Write the following in words.
1) 2,804.639 4) 52,304.61
2) 7,317.2963 5) 304.24
3) 36,000.00036
II. Write in numerals.
1) Seventy-nine hundredths
2) Eight thousand sixty-four millionths
3) Ninety-five and five ten thousandths
4) One thousand three and thirty-five thousandths
5) Nine and ninety-two thousandths

• To write decimals, write the whole number first followed III. Write the numbers using the short way (millions in
by the decimal point and place the digit or digits in its decimal form).
corresponding position. 1) 3,800,000 4) 4,700,000
Examples: 2) 65,800,000 5) 78,200,000
a) Four hundred three and seventy-five thousandths = 3) 23,000,000
473.075
b) Sixty-eight and one thousand five sixty-four millionths = IV. Write the correct symbol, =, <, >.
68.001564 1) 4.321___4.318 4) 39.08___39.09
2) 0.093___0.0093 5) 0.3004___0.300043
Numbers in Millions in Decimal Form 3) 0.216___0.261
The number 8,700,000 is read as eight million seven
hundred thousand. This can be written in a shorter way V. Write in scientific notation.
using decimals. 1) 45,000,000,000 4) 0.000000000000812
8,700,000 = 8.7 million and read as 8 point 7 million 2) 6,900,000,000,000 5) 192,000,000,000,000
24,900,00 can be written as 24.9 million and read as twenty- 3) 0.000000648
four million point nine million