Sharing a decimal
7.2 m of ribbon is cut into 4 equal pieces. How long is each piece?
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Step 1 of 4
- 7.2 sits in the ones and tenths columns. Share it by 4.
- Ones column: share 7 by 4. Each gets 1, 3 left over.
- That 3 is worth 30 tenths. Add the 2 already there: 32 tenths.
- Tenths column: share 32 by 4. Each gets 8. Answer: 1.8.
The rule
Each piece is 1.8 m long.
Share the biggest column first. Carry the leftover into the next column. There it is worth ten times as many. 3 ones are 30 tenths.
Put the point in the answer above the point in the number.
Check by multiplying back. 18 × 4 = 72, so 1.8 × 4 = 7.2.
Some sharing never ends. 2 ÷ 3 leaves 2 over in every column. It gives 0.666 and more.