Understanding Tenths | A Guide to Decimal Place Value and its Importance in Mathematics

tenths

In mathematics, “tenths” is a decimal place value that represents one-tenth or 1/10 of a whole

In mathematics, “tenths” is a decimal place value that represents one-tenth or 1/10 of a whole. It is the position immediately to the right of the decimal point.

To better understand the concept of tenths, let’s consider the decimal number system. The decimal system is based on powers of ten, with each digit’s value being ten times the value of the digit to its right.

For example, in the decimal number 123.456, the digit 4 is in the tenths place. Its value is 4/10, which is equivalent to 0.4 or four-tenths.

When working with decimal numbers, the tenths place is typically followed by the hundredths place (representing hundredths or 1/100) and preceded by the units or ones place (representing whole numbers or 1).

To illustrate how tenths work, consider the following examples:

1. The number 0.5: The digit 5 is in the tenths place, so we read this number as “zero point five” or “five-tenths.”

2. The number 2.72: The digit 7 is in the tenths place, so we read this number as “two point seven two” or “two and seventy-two hundredths.”

3. The number 14.9: The digit 9 is in the tenths place, so we read this number as “fourteen point nine” or “fourteen and nine-tenths.”

Tenths are crucial in understanding and working with decimal numbers, as they allow us to express values between whole numbers. They are an essential part of representing quantities, measurements, and fractions in the decimal system.

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