Fraction Classroom · 2.2.0 · Student pages
Why multiplying by ten changes each place value
Track what happens to each digit’s value instead of appending a zero to a decimal.
Anonymous group code: __________ Date: __________
Discuss the opening question
Work through the explanation
example. Why is 0.24 × 10 equal to 2.4, not 0.240?
- Read 0.24 as two tenths plus four hundredths.
- Multiply each part by ten. Ten copies of two tenths make two ones; ten copies of four hundredths make four tenths.
- Combine two ones and four tenths to make 2.4. The decimal point continues to mark the boundary between ones and tenths.
- Check with an estimate: ten copies of about one quarter should be about two and a half, so 2.4 is sensible.
Worked example: Each digit represents ten times as much: two tenths become two ones, and four hundredths become four tenths.
Practise, then check independently
Use p1–p3 for practice. Try e1 without help. Show how your place-value units or model support the result.