How To Divide Decimals

If you are a student looking for some guidance on how to divide decimals, you’ve come to the right place. Dividing decimals can be a tricky concept but with the right tips and tricks, you’ll be an expert in no time.

To start, you will need to understand the layout of the equation. When we divide decimals, the dividend (number being divided) is placed on the outside of the division sign, while the divisor (number doing the division) is placed on the inside. We use a technique called “flip and multiply” to figure out the answer. Let’s dive right in with an example.

Let’s divide 2.6 by 1.4

The first step is to flip the divisor, in this case 1.4, and and change it to a whole number. To do this, move the decimal two places to the right (because there are two decimal places in 1.4), resulting in 14. Our equation now looks like this:

2.6/14

Now, we simply multiply the dividend (2.6) by 14, giving us the answer of 36.4.

If the numbers are even more complex, like say the quotient contains 3 decimal places, then the same procedure needs to be done with the divisor. You would move the decimal three places to the right and multiply your dividend by that number.

Now that you understand the basics, practice makes perfect as there is no such thing as too much repetition. Try out a few of these problems below to perfect your skills:

• 2.25 divided by 0.5

• 7.9 divided by 2.3

• 1.1 divided by 0.15

• 5.2 divided by 3.6

Good luck and do not be discouraged – mastering decimals is a process!