Final answer:
To multiply a decimal by a power of ten, count the zeros and move the decimal point to the right that many places. Dividing by powers of ten requires moving the decimal left. Additional zeros are used as placeholders if the number of decimal places is inadequate.
Step-by-step explanation:
Multiplying and Dividing Decimals by Powers of Ten
The question deals with a mathematical procedure often encountered in Mathematics related to multiplying decimals and dividing by powers of ten. To multiply a decimal by a power of ten, like 100 or 1000, simply count the number of zeros in that power of ten, and move the decimal point in the original number to the right by that many places. For instance, when multiplying 45.86 by 100, the decimal moves 2 places to the right, transforming it into 4586.
When dividing by powers of ten, you do the opposite; move the decimal to the left. For example, if you divide 1.0 by 10, you would move the decimal one place to the left, resulting in 0.1.
In cases where there are not enough digits to move the decimal the required number of places, you add zeros as placeholders. This is seen when multiplying 2.4 by 100, resulting in 240 after adding one zero.