What you’ll learn
Divide decimals.
Key idea
Scale the dividend and divisor by the same nonzero factor to preserve a quotient.
Equivalent division scales both operands by the same factor; correcting later arithmetic alone does not repair an invalid first transformation.
Worked example
Enter the exact value or ordered values in the format requested below.
Compute 0.286 ÷ 0.26 exactly. Enter the decimal quotient.
- The equivalent division is 28.6÷26.
- This equals 1.1; verify 0.26×1.1=0.286.
Answer: 1.1
Quick Check
Evaluate a worked attempt at divide decimals, identify the first invalid step, and provide the correction.
A student writes Step 1: 0.144÷0.12=0.144÷12, changing only the divisor by 100. Step 2: this equals 0.012. Locate the first invalid step and correct the original quotient.