Decimal intuition with grids

The  exercise appears under the 4th grade (U.S.) Math Mission. This exercise uses grids cut into tenths and hundredths to help understand decimals.

Types of Problems
There is one type of problem in this exercise:


 * 1) Write the decimal represented by the shaded region This problem provides at least one square that may be subdivided into either tenths or hundredths. The student is asked to figure out the decimal that is being pictures and write it in the space provided.Diwg1.png

Strategies
Knowledge of the naming conventions for fractions as well as geometric representations of tenths and hundredths are encouraged to ensure success on this exercise.
 * 1) The 100ths blocks look like little squares and the tenths blocks look like strips or "longs."
 * 2) When the number of objects is greater than five, it is sometimes more efficient to count the amount of white space instead of shaded space.
 * 3) An understanding of fraction as "part of whole" can be used as a convenient check before submitting answers. Small shaded areas should provide small decimal numbers.

Real-life Applications

 * 1) The tenths and hundredths are important in the naming conventions for fractions, as well as serving as a basic intermediary between decimals and fractions.
 * 2) The problems in this exercise provide a geometric understanding with which to compare the sizes of various fractions and decimals.