Tutor Help: Multiplying and Dividing Decimals

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Skill: decimals-multiply-divide

Tutor Help: Multiplying and Dividing Decimals

Stuck on decimal points? Recap the rules, try the self-help fixes, or preview a tutor request.

Tutor help · Multiplying and Dividing Decimals

Multiplying decimals is whole-number multiplication plus place counting: the product gets as many decimal places as both factors combined. The point is never guessed — it is counted.

Dividing by 10, 100, or 1000 shifts digits right; multiplying by them shifts digits left. The point itself stays put.

Dividing by a decimal always starts the same way: make the divisor whole by shifting its point right, and shift the dividend the same distance. Then divide like normal.

How to get unstuck in 5 minutes

  1. 1Re-read the lesson section that matches your problem.
  2. 2Work one practice problem with the hint turned on.
  3. 3Check your answer with the step-by-step tool.
  4. 4Still stuck? Use the demo request form below.

1 Quick self-help

Three fixes that solve most stuck moments.

1

Lost the point when multiplying?

Count again, out loud: places in factor one, plus places in factor two. Estimate to confirm — 2.4 × 1.3 must be near 2, not 31.

2

Divisor is a decimal?

Clear it first: shift its point right until it is whole, and shift the dividend the exact same amount. Both move together.

3

Dividing by a whole number?

Do not shift anything — the point goes straight up into the quotient. 12.5 ÷ 5 = 2.5.

2 Common questions

Short answers to the questions tutors hear most.

Why does 0.2 × 0.3 = 0.06 and not 0.6?
Answer
2 × 3 = 6, and 1 + 1 = 2 decimal places, so 6 becomes 0.06. The estimate agrees: 0.2 × 0.3 is less than half of 0.3, so 0.06 (not 0.6) makes sense.
Do I move the point when dividing by a whole number?
Answer
No. The point goes straight up into the quotient. Shifting is only for clearing a decimal divisor.
How do I check a decimal answer?
Answer
Estimate first (2.4 × 1.3 ≈ 2 × 1 = 2), then multiply back: quotient × divisor must equal the dividend.

3 Ask a tutor

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