Pre-Algebra Lesson 6

Objectives

1. Definition of a decimal 2. Turning fractions into decimals 3. Adding and subtracting decimals 4. Multiplying and dividing decimals. Materials and Handouts 1.
5-10 minutes 40 minutes Go over Homework

Homework

Intro to decimals 1. Go through the first page with them slowly and carefully. May be helpful to use base 10 blocks and let a slab of 100 represent 1 whole. 2. Make sure they understand that each time we move left to the next place, we multiply by 10, each time we move right, we divide by 10. 3. Mention, as we talk about dividing by 10 that the whole point of a fraction is to let us divide something up into smaller pieces. Converting decimals to fractions and fractions to decimals 1. Just go through the examples with them till we get to the bottom. 2. Explain that a fraction represents dividing into smaller pieces and the symbol for dividing into is just the division symbol: So we can rewrite as . 3. The steps for turning a fraction into a decimal are: a. Step 1: Rewrite the fraction as a division problem: b. Step 2: Make the number on the inside into a decimal by adding a decimal point and some zeros. c. Step 3: Write the decimal point right above over the line and do long division like normal. 4. Go through the examples with them. Decimal Operations 1. Just go through all the examples with them. Have them do some examples on their own and explain what all the JUST REMEMBER bits mean. 2. Try not to get too bogged down in explaining why the decimal operations all work this way.

Pre-Algebra Lesson 7

Name:_______________ Date:_________

Decimals Class Work

Intro to Decimals 1. Our number system is called a base 10 number system. Why is this? Consider the following number: 1,111,111 a. Write this number out in words:

b. Fill out the following table. On the top, the number is written, on the bottom, please explain what the number represents. One is done for you. 1 1 1 1 1 1 One ten 1

c. To go from the tens to the hundreds you have to multiply by:____________________ d. To go from the thousands to the ten thousands, you have to multiply by:____________ e. To go from the ones to the tens, you have to multiply by:_______________________ f. To go from the hundreds to the tens, you have to:_____________________________ g. To go from the thousands to the hundreds you have to:_________________________ h. So why do you think our number system is called base 10?

2. Can we keep extending the table above to the left? Write a number below that would require adding one more box to our table on the left.
This dot is called a decimal point

3. Can we keep extending our table to the right? a. What should go underneath the 1 thats furthest to the right? 3 2 1 1

three hundreds

two tens

One one

b. We have 1 blank piece of paper here. What can we do to it so that it could represent the numbers that come after (to the right of) the decimal point. (Think about what you had to do above to move from the hundreds place to the tens place.)

c. Lets keep extending it right: 3 three hundreds 2 two tens 1 One one 1 2 3

d. How can we represent the 2 to the right of the decimal point with our piece of paper? Writing decimals as fractions and fractions as decimals. 1. Ill show you how to rewrite decimals as fractions first. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.

2. Now Ill show you how to rewrite fractions as decimals: a. c. e. g.

b.

d.

f.

h.

3. What made the last example different from the other ones?

4. Whole numbers can be represented as decimals really easily because they just have no numbers after the decimal point so we can rewrite them like so: a. b. c.

5. Our number system is base 10 meaning its easiest for us to represent things that are multiplications or divisions of 10, but fractions arent base 10. Fractions dont have to represent divisions into ten pieces. They can represent divisions into any number of pieces. Use equivalent fractions to turn the following fractions into decimals:

a.

b.

c.

6. Its not always so easy to do this. So we need a better way. Think about what means. It means one sheet of paper divided into two separate pieces. Isnt there a symbol for divide into? The symbol for divide into is:_________ and we can rewrite using this symbol like so:______________. There are three easy steps for turning a fraction into a decimal. Step 1:______________________________________ Step 2:______________________________________ Step 3:______________________________________ a. Ex: b. Ex: c. Ex:

Decimal Operations 1. Adding and subtracting decimals is SOOO EASY compared to adding and subtracting fractions. Because theyre base 10 all our normal rules for adding and subtracting numbers apply. Theres only one thing you need to remember JUST REMEMBER: LINE UP THE DECIMAL POINTS a. c. e.

b.

d.

f.

2. Multiplying decimals still pretty much works the same way as multiplying regular numbers. Theres only one trick. JUST REMEMBER: MOVE THE DECIMAL THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SPACES FROM EACH OF THE FACTORS a. c. e.

b.

d.

f.

3. Division of Decimals is again pretty easy, but there are two cases we need to consider. a. Case 1: We have a decimal expression being divided by a whole number JUST REMEMBER TO PLACE THE DECIMAL IN THE SAME PLACE IN THE ANSWER AS IN THE DIVIDEND i.) iii.)

ii.)

iv.)

b. Case 2: We have a something being divided by a decimal expression. For some crazy reason, we dont like doing these problems. We REALLY dont like decimals in the denominators of fractions. So before we do these problems, we multiply the numerator and denominator of the fraction by 10 over and over until there is no longer a decimal in the denominator. JUST REMEMER TO MULTIPLY THE NUMERATOR AND DENOMINATOR BY 10 OVER AND OVER UNTIL THERE IS NO DECIMAL ON THE DENOMINATOR, THEN DIVIDE i.) iii.) v.)

ii.)

iv.)

vi.)

Pre-Algebra Lesson 7

Name:_______________ Date:_________

Decimals Homework