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Secondary 2 · Mathematics
Numbers · Decimal numbers

Operations with Decimal Numbers

Before you start, make sure you know: Operations with decimal numbers (Secondary Year 1)
Before you start, make sure you know: Sexagesimal system (Secondary Year 1)

At the corner nut shop, they mix $2.5$ kg of walnuts at $\$142$ per kilogram with $1.75$ kg of almonds at $\$126$ per kilogram. What price per kilogram should they charge for the mix so they don't lose money? You already know how to work with decimals one operation at a time. Now it's time to chain operations together in real problems without losing track of the order.

Review: the four operations

Worked examples of adding, multiplying, and dividing decimal numbers, with their rules. 12.45 + 8.90 = 21.35 2.5 × 1.80 = 4.500 4.8 ÷ 1.2 = 48 ÷ 12 = 4 add and subtract: line up the points · multiply: count the decimal places · divide: make the divisor a whole number
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Marcos is saving up to buy a video game. On Monday he had $490$ pesos in his piggy bank. On Tuesday his aunt gave him $315$ pesos and on Wednesday he decided to buy a…

Marcos is saving up to buy a video game. On Monday he had $490$ pesos in his piggy bank. On Tuesday his aunt gave him $315$ pesos and on Wednesday he decided to buy a phone case costing $246$ pesos. How much money does Marcos have in his piggy bank right now? Perform the calculation lining up the decimal points correctly.

Solve
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In the school canteen, a large bag of mixed nuts costs $3.45$ pesos. Three friends decide to buy it to share and split the cost equally. How much money should each…

In the school canteen, a large bag of mixed nuts costs $3.45$ pesos. Three friends decide to buy it to share and split the cost equally. How much money should each person contribute? Perform the division making sure you get two exact decimal places.

Solve
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Complete the gaps in the pyramid so that the value of each box is the sum of the two numbers directly below it.

Complete the gaps in the pyramid so that the value of each box is the sum of the two numbers directly below it.

1.15 2.09 −0.5 3.24 ? ? + + +
Solve

Powers of 10 and roots of decimals

Multiplying by $10$, $100$, or $1{,}000$ moves the decimal point to the right as many places as there are zeros. Dividing moves it to the left. This is the same as changing the place value of each digit.

Operation How the point moves Result
$3.47 \times 100$ 2 places to the right $347$
$3.47 \div 10$ 1 place to the left $0.347$
$0.6 \times 1000$ 3 places to the right (add zeros) $600$

For the square root of a decimal, find the root of the number without the point and count the decimal places. A square with $2$ decimal places has a root with $1$ decimal place.

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Calculate the following products and quotients by powers of 10 mentally. Remember that you only need to move the decimal point to the left or right as appropriate: a)…

Calculate the following products and quotients by powers of 10 mentally. Remember that you only need to move the decimal point to the left or right as appropriate:

  1. a) $45.8 \times 100 =$
  2. b) $125.3 : 10 =$
  3. c) $0.75 \times 1000 =$
  4. d) $34.2 : 100 =$
Solve
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A monthly subscription to a music streaming service costs $9.95$ pesos. If a group of 10 friends decides to create a family account that costs exactly 10 times that…

A monthly subscription to a music streaming service costs $9.95$ pesos. If a group of 10 friends decides to create a family account that costs exactly 10 times that amount per year, what will be the total annual cost of the family subscription? Solve by moving the decimal point to the right.

Solve
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Ainhoa wants to put a square rug in her room. If the area covered by the rug is $5.29$ m², what is the length of the side of the rug? Calculate the exact square root of…

Ainhoa wants to put a square rug in her room. If the area covered by the rug is $5.29$ m², what is the length of the side of the rug? Calculate the exact square root of the decimal number. (Hint: Think which integer multiplied by itself gives $529$).

Solve

Combined operations

With decimals the order is the same as with whole numbers: parentheses first, then exponents and roots, then multiplication and division (from left to right), and finally addition and subtraction.

Order of solving a combined operation: first the parentheses, then the product, and finally the subtraction. 0.4 × (0.5 + 0.25) − 0.1 1ºparentheses 2ºproduct 3ºsubtract at the end

If a repeating decimal appears, such as $4.\overline{3}$, convert it to a fraction before operating. For example, $4.\overline{3} = \frac{13}{3}$. You do it the same way as in the section on the generating fraction.

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Apply the order of operations to solve the following expression with decimal numbers. Remember to carry out the operation inside brackets first: $$(4.5 + 2.1) \times 0.5…

Apply the order of operations to solve the following expression with decimal numbers. Remember to carry out the operation inside brackets first:

$$(4.5 + 2.1) \times 0.5 - 1.25$$
Solve
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Calculate the result of the following expression according to the order of operations and the rule of signs: $15.8 - 2.5 \times (4.2 - 3.75) + (1.24 + 0.36) : 0.4$

Calculate the result of the following expression according to the order of operations and the rule of signs:

$15.8 - 2.5 \times (4.2 - 3.75) + (1.24 + 0.36) : 0.4$

Solve
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Solve the following combined operation respecting the order of operations and working with generating fractions when recurring numbers appear. Express the final result…

Solve the following combined operation respecting the order of operations and working with generating fractions when recurring numbers appear. Express the final result in decimal form rounded to three decimal places:

$$3.25 : 0.5^2 - \sqrt{0.64} + 1.2 \times (4, \hat{3} - 2.1 \hat{6})$$
Solve

Multi-step money problems

Real-life problems chain together purchases, fees, deposits, and rounding. Before calculating, set up the whole expression and decide what to add and what to subtract.

Diagram of expenses, fee, and final balance of an account. expenses: 12.45 + 8.12 + 5.67 + 1.23 = 27.47 fee: 2.25 150 − 27.47 − 2.25 = 120.28 pesos account balance
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A streamer is analysing the data consumption of their recent live streams. In the first hour they used $2.45$ GB, in the second hour $1.8$ GB, and in the third, due to a…

A streamer is analysing the data consumption of their recent live streams. In the first hour they used $2.45$ GB, in the second hour $1.8$ GB, and in the third, due to a technical glitch, only $0.95$ GB. If they have a monthly plan of $15$ GB and had already spent $6.25$ GB before starting these streams, how many gigabytes do they have left in their data plan?

Solve
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Marta has $3\,084$ pesos in her bank account. During the week she carries out the following transactions: Pays an internet bill of $649$ pesos. Receives a cell phone…

Marta has $3\,084$ pesos in her bank account. During the week she carries out the following transactions:

  • Pays an internet bill of $649$ pesos.

  • Receives a cell phone transfer from her grandmother of $410$ pesos.

  • Buys three identical books for a total of $837$ pesos.

  • Withdraws $1\,000$ pesos from an ATM to spend over the weekend.

If the bank charges her a maintenance fee of $43$ pesos at the end of the week, what is her final balance? Is her account overdrawn (negative balance)? Write the result using integers and decimals.

Solve
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An automatic savings app rounds each of your purchases up to the nearest pesos and saves the difference in a digital piggy bank. During an afternoon of shopping, you…

An automatic savings app rounds each of your purchases up to the nearest pesos and saves the difference in a digital piggy bank. During an afternoon of shopping, you made the following payments:

  • Subscription to a gaming channel: $12.45$ pesos.

  • Afternoon snack with friends: $8.12$ pesos.

  • Cell phone case: $5.67$ pesos.

  • Sticker pack: $1.23$ pesos.

Calculate the value of the following expression to find how much money you have left in your bank account if you initially had $150$ pesos and, in addition to the purchases, the bank charged you a maintenance fee of $2.25$ pesos:

$$150 - (12.45 + 8.12 + 5.67 + 1.23 + 2.25) - H$$

Where $H$ is the total sum of the roundings sent to the digital piggy bank.

Solve

Mixture prices, averages, and differences

For the price of a mixture, add up what each ingredient costs (amount $\times$ unit price) and divide by the total kilograms. For an average, add up the data and divide by how many values there are.

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In a swimming competition, the times of the top three swimmers in the $100$-meter freestyle event were: Swimmer A: $48.25$ seconds. Swimmer B: $49.12$ seconds. Swimmer…

In a swimming competition, the times of the top three swimmers in the $100$-meter freestyle event were:

  • Swimmer A: $48.25$ seconds.

  • Swimmer B: $49.12$ seconds.

  • Swimmer C: $48.09$ seconds.

Calculate the time difference between the gold medalist and the bronze medalist. What is the mean time of the three swimmers? Round the mean to two decimal places.

Solve
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A greengrocer buys $50$ kg of loose cherries for a total of $2\,850$ pesos. When inspecting the goods, he discovers that $4.5$ kg are damaged and cannot be sold. If he…

A greengrocer buys $50$ kg of loose cherries for a total of $2\,850$ pesos. When inspecting the goods, he discovers that $4.5$ kg are damaged and cannot be sold. If he wants to make a net profit of $1\,200$ pesos on the total purchase, at what price per kilogram must he sell the cherries that are in good condition?

Solve
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In a bulk dried fruit and nut shop, they want to prepare a special "Energy" mix. They mix $2.5$ kg of walnuts at $284$ pesos/kg, $1.75$ kg of almonds at $252$ pesos/kg,…

In a bulk dried fruit and nut shop, they want to prepare a special "Energy" mix. They mix $2.5$ kg of walnuts at $284$ pesos/kg, $1.75$ kg of almonds at $252$ pesos/kg, and $0.75$ kg of raisins at $129$ pesos/kg.

Due to handling, it is estimated that the total weight of the mix is reduced by $0.05$ kg due to the loss of shells and dust. At what price per kilogram should they sell the resulting mix to obtain a total profit of $310$ pesos over the cost of the ingredients?

Solve

Perimeter and area with decimals

The perimeter is the sum of the sides. For a rectangle it is $2 \times (\text{length} + \text{width})$. The area of a rectangle is length $\times$ width, and the area of a circle is $\pi r^2$.

Ring formed by two concentric circles, with outer radius 6.25 cm and inner radius 3.5 cm. R = 6.25 cm r = 3.5 cm Area ≈ 84.23 cm²
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In Design and Technology class, Sara is measuring several components for a robotics project. She has placed four identical pieces in a row, as shown in the diagram. If…

In Design and Technology class, Sara is measuring several components for a robotics project. She has placed four identical pieces in a row, as shown in the diagram. If each piece measures $3.25$ cm long, what is the total length of the row?

3.25 cm ? cm
Solve
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An architect is designing a rectangular play area in a local park. The dimensions of the ground are $12.45$ meters long by $8.6$ meters wide. If she wants to enclose the…

An architect is designing a rectangular play area in a local park. The dimensions of the ground are $12.45$ meters long by $8.6$ meters wide. If she wants to enclose the entire perimeter with a protective fence costing $315$ pesos per linear meter, what will be the total budget for the fence?

Play area Valla: $315/m 12.45 m 8.6 m
Solve
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The new logo for an e-sports team consists of an annulus (the shaded area between two concentric circles). The designer needs to know the exact area to order the vinyl…

The new logo for an e-sports team consists of an annulus (the shaded area between two concentric circles). The designer needs to know the exact area to order the vinyl stickers. The radius of the larger circle measures $6.25$ cm and the radius of the inner circle is $3.5$ cm.

Using as the value of $\pi \approx 3.1416$, calculate the area of the shaded region working with all decimals during the calculations, and round the final result to two decimal places.

R = 6.25 cm r = 3.5 cm Area = π · (R² - r²)
Solve

Volume, capacity, and truncation

The volume of a rectangular prism is length $\times$ width $\times$ height. You multiply two at a time, keeping track of the decimal places. Also, $1\ \text{m}^3$ equals $1{,}000$ L, and $1$ dm³ equals $1$ L.

To reason about truncation, remember that it means cutting off the extra digits without rounding. The absolute error is the difference between the actual value and the estimated one.

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A can of fizzy drink has a capacity of $0.33$ liters. If a cardboard box holds 12 cans, how many liters of drink are there in total in a full box? Work out the…

A can of fizzy drink has a capacity of $0.33$ liters. If a cardboard box holds 12 cans, how many liters of drink are there in total in a full box? Work out the multiplication manually.

0.33 L 1 can × 12 Box with 12 cans ? L in total
Solve
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A water tank has a capacity of $120.5$ liters. A faucet is turned on that pours in $4.25$ liters per minute. Simultaneously, the tank has a leak through which $0.75$…

A water tank has a capacity of $120.5$ liters. A faucet is turned on that pours in $4.25$ liters per minute. Simultaneously, the tank has a leak through which $0.75$ liters per minute are lost. If the tank initially contained $15.25$ liters, how many liters will it have after $12$ minutes of operation?

Solve
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An architect designs a swimming pool in the shape of a rectangular prism whose internal dimensions are $5.25$ m long, $3.40$ m wide and $1.85$ m deep. 1. Calculate the…

An architect designs a swimming pool in the shape of a rectangular prism whose internal dimensions are $5.25$ m long, $3.40$ m wide and $1.85$ m deep.

  1. Calculate the maximum volume of water the pool can hold in cubic meters.

  2. If the architect estimates the volume by truncating each dimension to one decimal place, what is the estimated volume?

  3. Calculate the absolute error made between the actual volume and the volume estimated by truncation.

5.25 m 3.40 m 1.85 m
Solve

Time, speed, and large quantities

With very large quantities, operations are simplified using scientific notation. For example, a heart that beats $1.2 \times 10^3$ times per minute beats in one day: $1.2 \times 10^3 \times 1{,}440 = 1.728 \times 10^6$ times. To do this, you multiply the numbers and adjust the power of $10$ so that the result is a number between $1$ and $10$.

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A racing drone has traveled a distance of $14.58$ kilometers in $12$ minutes and $45$ seconds. 1. Express the total flight time in hours using decimal numbers (round to…

A racing drone has traveled a distance of $14.58$ kilometers in $12$ minutes and $45$ seconds.

  1. Express the total flight time in hours using decimal numbers (round to four decimal places).

  2. Calculate the average speed of the drone in km/h using the previous value.

  3. If the circuit record is a speed of $70.25$ km/h, by how many kilometers per hour did the drone fall short of matching the record?

Solve
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A hummingbird's heart beats approximately $1.2 \times 10^3$ times per minute at rest. 1. How many times does its heart beat in a full day? Express the result in…

A hummingbird's heart beats approximately $1.2 \times 10^3$ times per minute at rest.

  1. How many times does its heart beat in a full day? Express the result in scientific notation.

  2. If the average life expectancy of this hummingbird is $5.5$ years, how many beats will it make in total throughout its life? (Assume a year has $365.25$ days).

  3. If one beat displaces $0.025$ milliliters of blood, how many liters of blood does it pump in one hour?

Solve

Summary

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