Decimals made simple: Worksheets for 6th Grade math lovers

Decimals are important in math for many reasons. First, they help to express numbers that are not whole or exact. For example, the length of a pencil may be more than 15 centimeters and less than 16 centimeters, i.e., somewhere between 15 and 16 centimeters. Here, we can use a decimal to show the precise measurement, such as 15.3 centimeters.

Decimals can also help us compare and order numbers that are not whole. For example, if there are three pieces of cake measuring 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 kilograms each, we can use decimals to see which piece is the heaviest and lightest.

Just like whole numbers, decimals consist of digits. These decimal digits comprise two parts: the whole number part and the fractional part. The whole number part is the number to the left of the decimal point, and the fractional part is the number to the right. For example, in the decimal 12.34, the whole number part is 12, and the fractional part is 34.

The fractional part can be read as a fraction over a power of 10. For example, in the decimal 12.34, the fractional part 34 can be read as 34/100 or thirty-four hundredths.

The digits in the fractional part have different names depending on their position from the decimal point. The first digit after the decimal point is called the tenths place because it represents one-tenth of a whole. The second digit after the decimal point is called the hundredths place because it represents one-hundredth of a whole. The third digit after the decimal point is called the thousandths place because it represents one-thousandth of a whole. And so on.

Hey 6^th Grade math lovers, reading and writing decimals in word forms is a fantastic step towards achieving math success. To read a decimal aloud, students need to say the name of each digit in the fractional part followed by the name of the place value. For example, to read the decimal 12.34 aloud, they’d say "twelve point three four" or "twelve and thirty-four hundredths."

To write a decimal in word form, ask your students to write the word for each digit in the fractional part, followed by a hyphen and the word for the place value. For example, to write the decimal 12.34 in word form, they’ll write "twelve point thirty-four" or "twelve and thirty-four hundredths."

To order and compare decimals, 6^th graders need to look at each digit from left to right and compare them individually. If two decimals have different digits in the same place value, then the one with the larger digit is greater than the one with the smaller digit. For example;

0.56 is greater than 0.53 because 6 is greater than 3 in the hundredths place. If two decimals have the same digits in the same place value, then compare them to the next place value. For example, 0.56 equals 0.560 because they have the same digits in all places.

Rounding decimals is a way of making them simpler or more approximate without changing their value too much. To round a decimal to a particular place value, look at the digit to its right and decide whether to keep it or increase it by one. If the digit to its right is less than five, keep it as it is. If the digit to its right is five or more, increase it by one. For example;

To round 0.567 to the nearest hundredth, look at the digit in the thousandths place (7) and see that it is five or more, so increase the digit in the hundredths place (6) by one and get 0.57.

Decimals are very common in real-life situations where we need to measure or calculate things that are not whole or exact. Some examples of real-world applications of decimals are:

• Measuring lengths, weights, volumes, temperatures, etc.
• Calculating money amounts, discounts, taxes, tips, etc.
• Converting between different units of measurement, such as meters to centimeters, kilograms to grams, etc.
• Representing fractions, percentages, ratios, rates, etc.