Understanding Powers of Ten
Did you know multiplying by powers of ten is like giving your decimal number a superpower?
When you multiply a decimal by 10, 100, 1000, etc., the digits stay the same but the decimal point moves to the right! This is because each power of ten makes the number 10 times bigger.
How to Multiply Decimals by Powers of Ten
1️⃣ Count the zeros in the power of ten (10 has 1 zero, 100 has 2 zeros, etc.)
2️⃣ Move the decimal point to the RIGHT that many places
3️⃣ Add zeros if you run out of digits
Let's Practice Together!
Example 1: 3.75 × 100
How many zeros in 100? ?
100 has 2 zeros, so we move the decimal point 2 places to the right!
Final answer: 375
Example 2: 0.6 × 1000
Try solving this one yourself first!
1000 has 3 zeros, so we move the decimal point 3 places to the right.
Original: 0.6 → After moving: 600.
We needed to add two zeros to complete the movement!
Final answer: 600
Parent Tips 🌟
- Money makes it real: Use dollar amounts to practice (e.g., $4.25 × 10 = $42.50). Kids understand that 10 dimes make a dollar!
- Create a decimal slider: Make a paper number line with movable decimal point to visualize the changes.
- Play "Decimal Detective": Give your child a decimal and have them predict what happens when multiplied by different powers of ten.