Advantages and disadvantages of Decimal Number System :

We use decimals every day, while dealing with money, weight, length etc. Decimal numbers are used in situations where more precision is required, than the whole numbers can provide. For example, when we calculate our weight on the weighing machine, we do not always find the weight equal to a whole number on the scale.

Humans use number base 10 whereas computers use binary. The number base determines how many digits are needed to represent a number. For example, the number 78 in decimal (base 10) requires two digits. The binary (base 2) equivalent is 1001110 which requires seven digits.

• Advantages – easy readability, used by humans, and easy to manipulate.
• Disadvantages – wastage of space and time.

Decimals are important because people use them everyday in different situations, such as counting money, looking at price tags, reading an odometer and reviewing Olympic scores. The decimal system is a way to express large and small numbers by utilizing the decimal point.

A decimal is a number expressed in the scale of tens. Commonly speaking we talk about decimals when numbers include a decimal point to represent a whole number plus a fraction of a whole number (tenths, hundredths, etc.).

Types of Decimal Numbers

• Recurring Decimal Numbers (Repeating or Non-Terminating Decimals)
• Non-Recurring Decimal Numbers (Non Repeating or Terminating Decimals):
• Decimal Fraction- It represents the fraction whose denominator in powers of ten.
• 1 0 0.
• Addition.
• Multiplication.
• Decimal to Fraction Conversion.
• Example 1:

You should become efficient in using the four basic operations involving decimals—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Introduce decimal place values. Tell students that ones are always immediately to the left of a decimal point. Show them that tenths are always immediately to the right, followed by hundredths and thousandths. Over-pronounce tenths and hundredths to avoid confusing decimal place values with tens and hundreds.

We use decimals every day while dealing with money, weight, length etc. Decimal numbers are used in situations where more precision is required than the whole numbers can provide. For example, when we calculate our weight on the weighing machine, we do not always find the weight equal to a whole number on the scale.

: the position of a digit as counted to the right of the decimal point in a decimal.

So, to convert a fraction to a decimal, divide the numerator by the denominator. If required, you can use a calculator to do this. This will give us our answer as a decimal.

Children usually start to learn about decimals in Year 4.

Age five is a key year for supporting your child’s reading skills. At this age, kids begin to identify letters, match letters to sounds and recognize the beginning and ending sounds of words. Five-year-olds still enjoy being read to — and they may start telling their own stories, as well.

Most 5-year-olds can recognize numbers up to ten and write them. Older 5-year-olds may be able to count to 100 and read numbers up to 20. A 5-year-old’s knowledge of relative quantities is also advancing. If you ask whether six is more or less than three, your child will probably know the answer.