Before you start, make sure you know: Concept (Math 6)
In a 50-yard freestyle race at a school swim meet, Maya touches the wall at 22.48 seconds and Jada at 22.5 seconds. Jada's number looks shorter, so is she faster? And $\pi = 3.14159\ldots$ never ends and never repeats, so what kind of number is that? In this lesson you will read, compare, and round decimals, sort them into types, and turn repeating decimals into fractions.
Reading and Writing Decimals
A decimal extends place value to the right of the decimal point. Cut a whole into 10 equal parts and each part is a tenth. Cut each tenth into 10 equal parts and each is a hundredth.
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In a biology laboratory, a student is measuring the thickness of different plant leaves. Write the following decimal numbers obtained in his measurements in figures: a)…
In a biology laboratory, a student is measuring the thickness of different plant leaves. Write the following decimal numbers obtained in his measurements in figures:
a) Twelve units and eight tenths.
b) Seven units and twenty-five hundredths.
c) Zero units and one hundred and four thousandths.
Observe the following grid representing the unit divided into one hundred equal parts. Indicate what decimal number the orange shaded part represents and how this number…
Observe the following grid representing the unit divided into one hundred equal parts. Indicate what decimal number the orange shaded part represents and how this number is read.
Every place is worth 10 times the place to its right and one-tenth of the place to its left. That is why $0.1 = \tfrac{1}{10}$, $0.01 = \tfrac{1}{100}$, and so on.
Writing a number as a sum of the value of each digit is called expanded form.
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In the Olympic Games, swimming times are measured with great precision. A swimmer has taken $48,052$ seconds to complete an event. Indicate what place each digit…
In the Olympic Games, swimming times are measured with great precision. A swimmer has taken $48,052$ seconds to complete an event. Indicate what place each digit occupies in this number:
A nanotechnology laboratory measures the thickness of a new synthetic fiber obtaining a value of $0,034825\text{ mm}$. Indicate the place value of each of the digits in…
A nanotechnology laboratory measures the thickness of a new synthetic fiber obtaining a value of $0,034825\text{ mm}$. Indicate the place value of each of the digits in this number and fill in the blanks:
a) The thousandths digit is $...$
b) The number $8$ occupies the place of the $...$
c) The millionths digit is $...$
d) Express the number as a sum of decimal fractions (additive decomposition).
Some decimals stop, some repeat a block of digits forever, and some do neither. For example, $\sqrt{2} = 1.4142135\ldots$ goes on without any repeating block.
Terminating and repeating decimals can always be written as fractions, so they are rational. Square roots of numbers that are not perfect squares, such as $\sqrt{2}$ and $\sqrt{3}$, are irrational. So is $\pi$.
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Classify the following decimal numbers indicating whether they are exact, pure recurring or mixed recurring: a) $4,25$ b) $7,\widehat{3}$ c) $1,02\widehat{5}$ d)…
Classify the following decimal numbers indicating whether they are exact, pure recurring or mixed recurring:
Classify the following decimal numbers in the attached table (Exact, Pure Recurring, Mixed Recurring or Irrational): $3,141592...$ (Number $\pi$) $2,15$ $7,444...$…
Classify the following decimal numbers in the attached table (Exact, Pure Recurring, Mixed Recurring or Irrational):
A fraction is a division: $\tfrac{3}{8}$ means $3 \div 8$. If a shape is cut into equal parts, shaded parts divided by total parts gives the decimal for the shaded region.
Long division shows why some decimals repeat. Take $\tfrac{4}{15}$: $40 \div 15 = 2$ remainder $10$, then $100 \div 15 = 6$ remainder $10$ again. The same remainder came back, so the same digit $6$ will come back forever: $\tfrac{4}{15} = 0.2\overline{6}$. The remainder is always smaller than the denominator, so a remainder must eventually repeat.
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Observe the following figure, where a square of area $1\text{ u}^2$ has been divided into sections. a) Express the orange shaded part in decimal form. b) Express the…
Observe the following figure, where a square of area $1\text{ u}^2$ has been divided into sections.
a) Express the orange shaded part in decimal form.
b) Express the part left blank in decimal form.
c) What type of decimal numbers have you obtained (exact or recurring)?
Without performing the division of their terms, indicate what type of decimal number each of the following fractions will generate (exact or recurring). Justify your…
Without performing the division of their terms, indicate what type of decimal number each of the following fractions will generate (exact or recurring). Justify your answer by analyzing the prime factors of the denominator:
Prices are decimals too: $\$9.08$ is cheaper than $\$9.80$ because 8 cents is less than 80 cents. For any decimals, line up the decimal points and compare place by place.
For race times such as $1{:}24.058$, compare minutes first, then seconds, then the decimal part.
Repeating decimals
Expand enough digits of the repeating decimal to find the first place where the numbers differ.
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A group of friends is comparing the price of their favorite video games in different online stores. Copy into your notebook and use the signs $<$ , $>$ or $=$ to compare…
A group of friends is comparing the price of their favorite video games in different online stores. Copy into your notebook and use the signs $<$ , $>$ or $=$ to compare the prices found:
In a Formula 1 championship, the qualifying times of four drivers for one lap of the circuit were as follows: Driver A: $1:24,058\text{ s}$ Driver B: $1:24,5\text{ s}$…
In a Formula 1 championship, the qualifying times of four drivers for one lap of the circuit were as follows:
Driver A: $1:24,058\text{ s}$
Driver B: $1:24,5\text{ s}$
Driver C: $1:24,06\text{ s}$
Driver D: $1:24,0578\text{ s}$
Order the drivers from fastest to slowest using the signs $>$ or $<$ as appropriate.
Draw a number line in your notebook and represent the following decimal numbers. For negative numbers, use a different color. $A = 0,4$ $B = -0,25$ $C = 0,85$ $D = -0,7$
Draw a number line in your notebook and represent the following decimal numbers. For negative numbers, use a different color.
Ashley and Mark are almost the same height, and $3.27$ and $3.28$ look like neighbors. But look one digit further: $3.271, 3.272, 3.273, \ldots$ all fit between them.
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Three siblings measure their height. Ashley is $1,54$ feet tall and Mark is $1,55$ feet tall. Find a decimal number that lies between Ashley's and Mark's heights.
Three siblings measure their height. Ashley is $1,54$ feet tall and Mark is $1,55$ feet tall. Find a decimal number that lies between Ashley's and Mark's heights.
Order the following decimal numbers from least to greatest, justifying your answer by expanding at least four of their decimal places: $A = 2,3\hat{5}$…
Order the following decimal numbers from least to greatest, justifying your answer by expanding at least four of their decimal places:
$A = 2,3\hat{5}$
$B = 2,\widehat{35}$
$C = 2,35$
$D = 2,35\hat{3}$
$E = 2,355$
Once ordered, find a terminating decimal number and a pure repeating decimal number that lie between the two central values of your list.
Every terminating or repeating decimal is a fraction. For a terminating decimal, write the digits over a power of 10: $0.375 = \tfrac{375}{1{,}000} = \tfrac{3}{8}$. For a repeating decimal, use algebra. Some problems call this finding the generating fraction and ask for an irreducible fraction; in this course we say "write the decimal as a fraction in simplest form."
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Find the generating fraction of the following decimal numbers. You must express the result as an irreducible fraction: a) $1,02\widehat{45}$ b) $0,1\hat{9}$ (Analyze the…
Find the generating fraction of the following decimal numbers. You must express the result as an irreducible fraction:
a) $1,02\widehat{45}$
b) $0,1\hat{9}$ (Analyze the result obtained and reflect on its value).
c) $3,4\hat{6} + 1,\hat{3}$ (Perform the addition using their generating fractions).
Determine the value of the digit $x$ so that the generating fraction of the decimal number $0,x\hat{6}$ is equivalent to $\frac{7}{15}$. Explain step by step the logical…
Determine the value of the digit $x$ so that the generating fraction of the decimal number $0,x\hat{6}$ is equivalent to $\frac{7}{15}$. Explain step by step the logical process and the operations necessary to find this digit.
Fractions give exact values for repeating decimals, which makes comparing and inserting numbers precise. Irrational numbers can only be approximated, so you place them using decimal digits.
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Insert three rational numbers (in fraction form) between the decimal numbers $0,\hat{7}$ and $0,7\hat{8}$. To solve it, follow these steps: 1. Obtain the generating…
Insert three rational numbers (in fraction form) between the decimal numbers $0,\hat{7}$ and $0,7\hat{8}$.
To solve it, follow these steps:
Obtain the generating fractions of both numbers.
Reduce these fractions to a common denominator.
Find three fractions that lie between them and check that their decimal expressions meet the insertion condition.
Represent the following numbers approximately on the number line, but determine exactly which of them is larger using their generating fractions: $X = 1,4\hat{6}$…
Represent the following numbers approximately on the number line, but determine exactly which of them is larger using their generating fractions:
$X = 1,4\hat{6}$
$Y = \sqrt{2}$ (Use the approximation $1,4142...$)
$Z = \frac{11}{7}$
Justify the position of each one on the line by performing the necessary divisions to at least three decimal places.
A carpenter needs to cut a wooden plank with an exact length of $2,4568\text{ meters}$. However, his tape measure only reads to the nearest millimeter. a) What…
A carpenter needs to cut a wooden plank with an exact length of $2,4568\text{ meters}$. However, his tape measure only reads to the nearest millimeter.
a) What measurement will he take if he decides to round to the nearest millimeter?
b) Calculate the absolute error made when making this approximation.
c) Would the absolute error be larger or smaller if he decided to truncate to the hundredths? Explain why.
An error of $0.5$ in. is tiny on a 100 in. board but huge on a 10 in. board. Relative error measures the error compared with the size of the true value.
Try different values and numbers of decimal places:
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In a biology laboratory, the size of a microorganism has been measured, obtaining a value of $0,04586$ in. Due to a software error, the microscope shows this approximate…
In a biology laboratory, the size of a microorganism has been measured, obtaining a value of $0,04586$ in. Due to a software error, the microscope shows this approximate value in two different ways:
Approximation X: truncated to the thousandths.
Approximation Y: rounded to the thousandths.
Calculate the relative error made in each of the two approximations. Which of the two estimates is more precise for the scientific study? Justify your answer by comparing the errors obtained.
A surveyor measures the length of a bridge and obtains $125,48$ ft. However, the true measurement is $125,4836$ ft. a) Calculate the absolute error and the relative…
A surveyor measures the length of a bridge and obtains $125,48$ ft. However, the true measurement is $125,4836$ ft.
a) Calculate the absolute error and the relative error of the surveyor's measurement.
b) If for a city hall plan it is decided to round the true measurement to the nearest tenth, what would be the new relative error?
c) Compare both relative errors and explain which of the two measurements (the surveyor's or the plan's) offers a more accurate representation of reality.
Scientists measure things like pollen and viruses, which have a very small mass. Writing that many zeros is hard to read, so we use powers of 10.
To compare masses, first put them in the same unit. Remember that $1\text{ kg} = 1{,}000\text{ g}$, so $1\text{ g} = 10^{-3}\text{ kg}$. Also, $1\text{ hg}$ (hectogram) $= 100\text{ g} = 0.1\text{ kg} = 10^{-1}\text{ kg}$.
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Express the following measurements in scientific notation, which have been taken with different levels of precision. Afterwards, order them from largest to smallest…
Express the following measurements in scientific notation, which have been taken with different levels of precision. Afterwards, order them from largest to smallest mass:
a) The weight of a pollen grain: $0,00000000062$ kg.
b) The mass of a dust particle: $0,00000075$ g.
c) The mass of a virus: $0,0000000000000023$ hg.
Note: Express all quantities in the same unit (kg) before making the comparison.
Back to the start: pad Jada's time to $22.50$. Since $22.48 < 22.50$ (the tenths digits are $4$ and $5$, and $4 < 5$), Maya was faster. Longer does not mean bigger. And $\pi$ is an irrational number: infinitely many digits with no repeating block.