When you multiply by 10, every digit moves one place to the left and becomes ten times bigger. 3.47 × 10 = 34.7. Multiplying by 100 moves the digits two places: 3.47 × 100 = 347. Multiplying by 1000 moves them three places.
Dividing by 10, 100 or 1000 moves the digits to the right, so the number gets smaller: 52.6 ÷ 10 = 5.26 and 52.6 ÷ 100 = 0.526. The decimal point stays still; it is the digits that move. Zeros fill any empty places, such as in 4.2 × 100 = 420.
Worked example
6.05 × 1000 =
- Multiplying by 1000 moves each digit three places to the left.
- 6.05 becomes 6050, with a zero to fill the ones place.
Answer:6050
Key words
- power of ten
- 10, 100, 1000 and so on
- place value
- the value of a digit's position
- placeholder
- a zero that keeps digits in the right place
Practise this
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: 5.NBT.A.2