In a decimal number, the whole part tells us how many whole units we will move away from 0 along the number line. The decimal part expresses how much of the next whole unit will be included.
Practice makes perfect
We are given a set of mixed numbers and want to graph them on a number line as decimals.
{ 5 310,5 110,5 }
To graph the given set of numbers, we will first write them as decimals.
We found that 5 310 is equal to 5.3 when it is written as a decimal. Now, let's write the other mixed numbers as decimals by following the same procedure.
Number
Decimal Number
5 310
5.3
5 110
5.1
5
5
Recall a that decimal number is a number whose whole part and decimal part are separated by a decimal point.
{ 5 310,5 110,5} ⇔ { 5. 3, 5. 1, 5 }
The integer part tells us how many whole units we will move away from 0 along the number line. The decimal part expresses how much of the next whole unit will be included. Since all the numbers are positive, we will move to the right of 0.
