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Chapter 5 Decimals 5-7 Dividing Decimals | Recall that you work with dividing whole numbers turned up remainder terms. You would say, for example, that 17 � 5 = 3 R 2, or "seventeen divided by five equals three with a remainder of two." In this section, you are going to find that the remainders can be converted into decimal fractions. This way, the result of such division operation is a far more useful number value than a whole number with a remainder. You will find, for example, that 17 � 5 = 3.4, or "seventeen divided by five equals three point four." | 
Review the names of the parts of a division operation.
| | Here are a few examples of decimal division: | Problem | Notes | | 5 ) 17 | There are no decimal places in the problem, but there will be a decimal point in the quotient. | | 21 ) 34.6 | There is no decimal point in the divisor; but there is a decimal point in the divident, and there will be a decimal point in the quotient. | | 56 ) 0.0034 | This is an example of divding into a number that is much smaller than 1. | | 56.8 ) 124.89 | This problem will have decimal points all around. | The procedures for dividing decimal fractions is almost the same as dividing whole numbers. The only difference is that we have to deal with the decimal points in the decimal-fraction versions. Procedure - Step 1: Multiply both the divisor and dividend by 10 until the divisor is a whole-number value.
- Step 2: Perform the division operations without paying any attention to the decimal points.
- Step 3: Place the decimal point for the quotient directly above the decimal point in the dividend.
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| Preparing the Problem for Division Example | Prepare 1.256 ) 6.28 for division. The objective is to transform the divisor, 1.256, into a whole-number value. Multiply 1.256 by 10, and then do the same to the dividend.
The result is 12.56 ) 62.8
The divisor is not yet a whole-number value. Multiply 12.56 by 10, and then do the same to the dividend.
The result is 125.6 ) 628.0
The divisor is not yet a whole-number value. Multiply 125.6 by 10, and then do the same to the dividend.
The result is 1256 ) 6280.0 |  | Now the divisor is a whole-number value, and the problem is prepared for doing the division.. Examples and Exercises Use these interactive examples and exercises to strengthen your understanding and build your skills: Prepare these problems for division by converting the divisor to a whole-number value. | |
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