Understanding Decimals with Base 10 Blocks

We're going to use base 10 blocks to represent decimals. You're used to calling this block a thousand block, but for decimals we're going to call this a one block. This represents one whole. How many of these flats does it take to make one of these blocks? It takes 10, so we're going to call this a tenth, because it takes 10 of them. How many of these rods does it take to make up our one block? Well, it would take 100 of them. And so therefore we call this a hundredth. And how many of these little tiny cubes does it take to make up our ones block? Well, it takes a thousand of them. So we call this a thousandth block. So here are our base ten blocks. You could see that the large cube is the one block. As a decimal it's represented as one or 1.0. The flat is a tenth block because it takes ten of them to make the one block. And as a decimal you can write it as 0.1. The rod is a hundredth because it takes a hundred of those rods to make up the big cube and you could represent it as 0.01. And the tiny little cube represents a thousandth because it takes a thousand of them to make up the full big block. And as a decimal, you can represent it as 0.001. I want you to see if you notice a connection here with our decimal and our fraction. Look at a tenth. Doesn't it kind of look like the number 10 backwards if you ignore the decimal point? Look at the hundredth block, or the hundredth. Doesn't it look like the number 100 backwards if you ignore the decimal? And how about the thousandth? Doesn't that look like the number thousand backwards if you remove the decimal? Okay, now I've got my place value chart down here below. And let's look at an example. So some people might call this number down here below as 1.234. But the correct way to read this number, the correct mathematical way, is 1 and 200. 34 thousandths. Do you notice that the number the word and is used to represent the decimal? That's the only time when it's okay to use the word and is when it's representing the decimal. Here is expanded form. So that's another way to show that number. Here is what it would actually look like in base 10 blocks. So we have 1 ones, 2 tenths, 3 hundredths, and 4 thousandths.

It takes 10, so we're going to call this a tenth, because it takes 10 of them. How many of these rods does it take to make up our one block? Well, it would take 100 of them. And so therefore we call this a hundredth. And how many of these little tiny cubes does it take to make up our ones block?

Well, it takes a thousand of them. So we call this a thousandth block. So here are our base ten blocks.

You could see that the large cube is the one block. As a decimal it's represented as one or 1.0. The flat is a tenth block because it takes ten of them to make the one block.

And as a decimal you can write it as 0.1. The rod is a hundredth because it takes a hundred of those rods to make up the big cube and you could represent it as 0.01. And the tiny little cube represents a thousandth because it takes a thousand of them to make up the full big block. And as a decimal, you can represent it as 0.001.

I want you to see if you notice a connection here with our decimal and our fraction. Look at a tenth. Doesn't it kind of look like the number 10 backwards if you ignore the decimal point?

Look at the hundredth block, or the hundredth. Doesn't it look like the number 100 backwards if you ignore the decimal? And how about the thousandth? Doesn't that look like the number thousand backwards if you remove the decimal?

Okay, now I've got my place value chart down here below. And let's look at an example. So some people might call this number down here below as 1.234.

But the correct way to read this number, the correct mathematical way, is 1 and 200. 34 thousandths. Do you notice that the number the word and is used to represent the decimal? That's the only time when it's okay to use the word and is when it's representing the decimal. Here is expanded form.

So that's another way to show that number. Here is what it would actually look like in base 10 blocks. So we have 1 ones, 2 tenths, 3 hundredths, and 4 thousandths.

Transcript for:Understanding Decimals with Base 10 Blocks

Transcript for:
Understanding Decimals with Base 10 Blocks