Comparing and Rounding Decimals

Table Of Contents

🎬 Math Angel Video: How to Compare and Round Decimals

What are Decimal Places and Place Value?

Decimal places and place value chart showing number 12.348 with illustrations highlighting tenths, hundredths, and thousandths.

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Decimal places are the digits that come after the decimal point.

Place Value tells us the value of each digit in a number based on its position.

🛎️ Example: 12.348

  • 3 is in the tenths place (1st decimal place).
  • 4 is in the hundredths place (2nd decimal place).
  • 8 is in the thousandths place (3rd decimal place).

The more decimal places a number has, the more precise it is! 

How to Round Decimals (Rules & Examples) ?

Rounding decimals, showing rules for rounding up if the digit is 5 or greater, and rounding down if the digit is less than 5, with examples.

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🛎️ Rounding Rules:

To round a decimal, follow these 3 steps:

  1. Find the rounding place: Decide which decimal place you need to round to (e.g., tenths, hundredths).
  2. Look at the digit immediately to the right:
    • If the digit is less than 5, round down (keep the rounding digit the same).
    • If the digit is 5 or greater, round up (increase the rounding digit by 1).
  3. Remove the remaining digits: After rounding, remove all digits to the right of the rounding place.

 

🛎️ Example: Rounding 12.348 to the 1st decimal place: 

  • The rounding place is the 1st decimal place (3).
  • The next digit to the right is the 2nd decimal place (4). Since 4 is less than 5, we round down.
  • Remove the digits after the rounding place, so the answer is 12.3 ✅ 

 

🛎️ Example: Rounding 12.348 to the nearest hundredth:

  • The rounding place is the hundredths place (4).
  • The next digit to the right is in the thousandths place (8). Since 8 is 5 or greater, we round up. We round up by adding 1 to 4, so the hundredths place becomes 5.
  • Finally, we remove all digits after the rounding place, so the result is 12.35

How to Compare Decimals?

Comparison of two decimals, 12.431 and 12.441, with steps to align decimal points, check digits from left to right, and determine the greater decimal.

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To determine which decimal is greater, follow these steps:

  1. Compare digits from left to right: Start with the whole number part. If they are the same, move to the tenths, then hundredths, and so on.
  2. The number with the first larger digit is the greater decimal.

 

🛎️ Example: Comparing 12.431 and 12.441

  • The whole number part (12) is the same.
  • The tenths place (4) is the same.
  • The hundredths place differs: 3 vs. 4 → 4 is larger, so 12.441 is greater ✅

🍪 Quiz: Practise Comparing and Rounding Decimals

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Comparing and Rounding Decimals

1 / 6

Q: Round 3.47 to 1 decimal place.

2 / 6

Q: Which number is greater, 0.66 or 0.58?

3 / 6

Q: Round 7.657 to 2 decimal places.

4 / 6

Q: Round 18.569 to the nearest hundredth.

5 / 6

Q: Which number is greater, 0.441 or 0.435?

6 / 6

Q: Round 9.895 to 2 decimal places.

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