Use a Calculator to Divide by Decimal Numbers Between 0 and 1

Suppose we want to divide 52 by 0.1

This is the same as asking  "How many 0.1s (tenths) are there in 52?"

There are 10 tenths in 1, and so there are 52 × 10 tenths in 52.

So 52 ÷ 0.1 = 520

Similarly, 39 ÷ 0.01 means "How many 0.01s (hundredths) are there in 39?"

There are 100 hundredths in 1, and so there are 39 × 100 hundredths in 39.

So 39 ÷ 0.01 = 3,900

It's important for us to understand what is happening when we divide by 0.1 and 0.01, but in this activity we will be using a calculator to answer the questions.

Let's get started.