Understanding Powers of Ten
Dividing by powers of ten is like giving your number a slide to the left!
When we divide by 10, 100, or 1000, we're actually moving the decimal point to the left - one place for each zero in the number. This makes numbers smaller in a very special pattern.
How to Divide by Powers of Ten
1️⃣ Count the zeros in your power of ten (10 has 1 zero, 100 has 2, etc.)
2️⃣ Move the decimal point left that many places
3️⃣ Add zeros if you run out of digits to move past
Let's Practice Together!
Example 1: The Pizza Party
You have 3.5 pizzas to share equally among 100 friends. How much pizza does each friend get?
We need to divide 3.5 by 100 (which has 2 zeros).
Move the decimal point 2 places left: 3.5 → 0.35 → 0.035
Answer: Each friend gets 0.035 of a pizza!
Interactive Practice
Try dividing different numbers by powers of ten:
Parent Tips 🌟
- Money makes it real: Use dollar amounts to practice ($10 ÷ 10 = $1, $10 ÷ 100 = $0.10). Kids understand money concepts well!
- Play "Decimal Detective": Write numbers on cards and have your child predict where the decimal moves when dividing by different powers of ten.
- Connect to measurement: Show how dividing by 10 converts centimeters to millimeters, or meters to centimeters.