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Explaining Why You Can Move Decimals

Why are you allowed to move the decimal points before
dividing with decimals? Explain your reasoning.

User Kevin Aung
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1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

Moving the decimal points when dividing with decimals simplifies the problem and does not change the value of the numbers.

Step-by-step explanation:

When dividing with decimals, you can move the decimal points to simplify the problem. This is because moving the decimals does not change the value of the numbers, but it makes the division easier to perform.

For example, if you have 4.2 ÷ 0.3, you can move the decimal point of the divisor (0.3) one place to the right to make it a whole number: 4.2 ÷ 3.

Then you can divide 4.2 by 3 to get the answer: 1.4.

User Fgoudra
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