Division strategies for decimal quotients

TL;DR

Learn different strategies to divide numbers when the quotient is a decimal.

Transcript

• [Instructor] In this video, we're gonna come up with some strategies for division when the quotient isn't a whole number, when it's going to be a decimal, so let's try to compute three divided by two. Pause the video and see if you can figure out what that is going to be, and I'll give you a hint, it's not going to be a whole number. Alright, now... Read More

Key Insights

• ➗ There are multiple strategies for dividing numbers with decimals, such as rewriting the division as a fraction or expressing the numbers in terms of tenths.
• 😑 Expressing a fraction in terms of tenths can make division easier by dealing with whole numbers.
• 🗂️ Dividing a decimal by a whole number can be simplified by treating the decimal as tenths.
• 🗂️ Dividing a decimal by a decimal can also be simplified by rewriting it as a fraction and multiplying by the reciprocal.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are some strategies for dividing numbers when the quotient is a decimal?

There are multiple strategies. One is to rewrite the division as a fraction and then express it as a mixed number or decimal. Another is to think of the numbers in terms of tenths and divide accordingly.

Q: In the example 3 divided by 2, how can we express it as a decimal?

We can rewrite it as 3/2, which is equal to 2/2 plus 1/2. Simplifying further, it becomes 1 1/2 or 1.50 in decimal form.

Q: How can we divide 34 by 4?

We can write it as 34/4, which is equal to 32/4 plus 2/4. Simplifying further, it becomes 8 1/2 or 8.50 in decimal form.

Q: How do we divide a decimal like 8.4 by 7?

We can think of it as 84 tenths divided by 7, resulting in 12 tenths or 1.20 in decimal form.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• There are multiple strategies to divide numbers when the quotient is a decimal. One strategy is to rewrite the division as a fraction and then express it as a mixed number or decimal. Another strategy is to express the numbers in terms of tenths and then divide.

• For example, when dividing 3 by 2, you can write it as 3/2, which is equal to 2/2 plus 1/2. Simplifying further, it becomes 1 1/2 or 1.50.

• When dividing 34 by 4, you can write it as 34/4, which is equal to 32/4 plus 2/4. Simplifying further, it becomes 8 1/2 or 8.50.

• To divide a decimal like 8.4 by 7, you can think of it as 84 tenths divided by 7, which simplifies to 12 tenths or 1.20.

• Similarly, when dividing 7 by 70, you can simplify it to 1/10 or 0.10.