Chapter 6: Rationals: Multiplication, Division, and Applications

by

Millard Lewis and John Moore


Day 5: Dividing Decimals

 

For this lesson, we will search the World Wide Web to find some facts and figures to use in learning how to divide decimals. Before we begin any math, we want to add this page as a bookmark in Netscape... Go to the Bookmarks menu above, and click on Add Bookmark. This should add Day 5: Dividing Decimals to the bottom of your list of bookmarks. That way, you can come back here whenever necessary.

 

For an example, let's say that Greg Maddux for the Atlanta Braves pitched for 7.6 innings in a game. In that time, he gave up 12 hits. How would we find out how many hits per inning he allowed?

 

Solution: We simply need to divide the number of hits by the number of innings. Therefore, 12/7.6. This can be done quickly with a calculator, but how would we do it if we did not have a calculator or any technology (other than paper and pencil) available?

Let's try multiplying both 12 and 7.6 by 10. (Remember since 12 divided by 7.6 is actually the fraction, 12/7.6, if we multiply by 10/10, or 1, we do not change the value of the fraction at all.) So, we should know how to divide 120 by 76. It's just long division....


Some web sites to try:

 

http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~jekint/statistics.html

 

http://www.fiu.edu/~lamatj01/danalltm.html

 

http://www.lycos.com (search for "sports statistics")

 

You may find some helpful information at http://espnet.sportszone.com

 

Click here for your worksheet on dividing decimals.