6th grade · Math · Unit 3 of 17
Decimal × and ÷
Multiply and divide decimals
What your child practices
Multiplying and dividing decimals, estimating to check where the decimal point goes, and solving shopping and measurement problems.
Alaska content standards learning standard: 6.NS.3 · adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing multi-digit decimals
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Multiply as if there were no decimal points.
- Count the decimal places in the numbers you started with.
- Give your answer that many decimal places.
Example: 0.6 × 4 = ? Ignore the point: 6 × 4 = 24. 0.6 has 1 decimal place. So the answer has 1 decimal place: 2.4. Answer: 2.4
Decimal × and ÷ in Alaska
In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 3 of 17 in 6th grade Math, after Mixed Numbers & Ratios and before Percents & Budgets.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
What is 1.3 × 0.7?
1.3 × 0.7 = ?
answer box
0.91
Hint: Multiply the whole numbers: 13 × 7 = 91. There are 2 decimal places in the factors altogether, so count 2 places from the right.
Question 2
What is 4.56 × 3?
4.56 × 3 = ?
answer box
13.68
Hint: Multiply as if there were no decimal point: 456 × 3 = 1368. 4.56 has 2 decimal places, so the answer does too.
Question 3
Which is the best estimate for 8.71 × 4.2?
- 36
- 3.6
- 360
- 3600
36
Hint: Round each number to the nearest whole number, then multiply: 9 × 4. Check that the size of the answer makes sense.
Question 4
Kenji buys 5 bus tickets at $2.85 each. What is the total cost in dollars?
🎫$2.85 eachanswer box
14.25
Hint: Multiply the price by 5. It can help to work in cents: 285¢ × 5, then change cents to dollars (100¢ = $1).
Question 5
What is 4.75 ÷ 5?
4.75 ÷ 5 = ?
answer box
0.95
Hint: Think of 4.75 as 475 hundredths. Divide: 475 ÷ 5 = 95 hundredths. Then write that as a decimal.
Question 6
A 34.5 km relay is split equally among 5 runners. How far does each runner go?
answer boxkm
6.9 km
Hint: Divide the total by 5: 34.5 ÷ 5. Think of 34.5 as 345 tenths to make it easier.