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Dividing whole numbers to get a decimal

In this math lesson, we learn how to divide two numbers and find a decimal answer. We divide 63 by 35, first getting a remainder of 28. To obtain a decimal result, we add a zero to 63, making it 63.0, and then divide 280 by 35. The final answer is 1.8. Created by Sal Khan.

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  • duskpin sapling style avatar for user AFossett_28
    Is it possible to turn 1,000,000,000 into a fraction and or a decimal?
    (20 votes)
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  • blobby green style avatar for user jazmynwarren273
    Why in the practice questions its placing the bigger number outside of the division symbol roof thing? I always put the bigger number on the inside and the smaller number on the outside. Example; 24/60, when doing long division id place the 24 outside and the 60 inside to ultimately get 2.5. But the example is doing the opposite and is getting 0.4. I just thought the bigger number was always on the inside.
    (12 votes)
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    • female robot grace style avatar for user loumast17
      Well both are division probles, 24 divided by 60 is different than 60 divided by 24.

      24 divided by 60 has 60 outside the division symbol while 60 divided by 24 has 24 outside of it.

      It's not about bigger numbers, but what is dividing what. Though, if the number outside is igger than what is inside then the answer is going to be less than 1, while if the larger number is inside then it will be greater than 1, which you saw with that 2.5 vs. .4
      (9 votes)
  • male robot hal style avatar for user Hisham Almukhtar
    Why 9÷60 = 9÷6÷10 In other words, if you want to break down 60 into 10 and 6 we should say (6 x 10) not (6÷10) ?
    (6 votes)
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    • primosaur seed style avatar for user Ian Pulizzotto
      Suppose you have a 9-inch stick.
      If you cut the stick into 6 equal pieces, then 9÷6 is the length of each piece in inches.
      Now suppose you cut each of these pieces into 10 smaller equal pieces. Then 9÷6÷10 is the length of each (smallest) piece in inches. Furthermore, the original stick has now been cut into 6 x 10 = 60 equal pieces! So 9÷60 also represents the length of each (smallest) piece, in inches.

      Therefore, it makes sense that 9÷60 = 9÷6÷10, with 60 = 6 x 10. That is, 9÷6÷10 = 9÷(6 x 10).

      Have a blessed, wonderful New Year!
      (15 votes)
  • leafers sapling style avatar for user LeoDoodles
    Its sad that 4-5 years ago, the comment section used to be filled with kids actually asking serious math questions when they needed help and getting answers from other kids. Now, its filled with kids talking about non-math subjects and miscellaneous crap. Its kind of depressing :(
    (11 votes)
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  • starky seed style avatar for user the master sword
    is it possible to turn 900 into a fraction or decimal
    (9 votes)
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  • blobby green style avatar for user Martin Roy
    Like multiplying decimals this was equally confusing. I have a general understanding of adding and subtracting decimals but this is just gibberish in my head. I couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was trying to say. Is there a simpler way to divide decimals?
    (6 votes)
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    • primosaur seed style avatar for user Ian Pulizzotto
      There are tricks for some decimal division problems. For example:

      1) Dividing by 0.5 is the same as multiplying by 2.

      2) Dividing by 0.25 is the same as multiplying by 4.

      3) Dividing by 0.2 is the same as multiplying by 5.

      4) Dividing by 0.1 is the same as multiplying by 10.

      5) Dividing by 0.01 is the same as multiplying by 100.
      (7 votes)
  • starky sapling style avatar for user 🐺Kendra Hammonds🐺
    I am confused. So where does Sal honestly get the decimal from? Does it just pop out of nowhere? I’m sorry. I’m just confused 🤷‍♀️.
    (5 votes)
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    • piceratops seed style avatar for user Vir12abc
      19=19.000000000. It originally has a decimal but because it has zeroes behind it it is not put there. The zeroes don't pop out of nowhere. You can put them in behind with a decimal to use. Ask people you know for more help. I hope this helps. Also being confused is a good thing. It makes you want to think harder and by thinking harder and asking specific questions like this will help you become unconfused.
      (6 votes)
  • blobby green style avatar for user Ashok Kumar
    100 divided in 50 but not answer 2
    (4 votes)
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  • starky ultimate style avatar for user christopher
    if you have 12/20 why would it switch to 20/12? He has 63/35, but it switches to 35/63. Why?
    (4 votes)
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    • old spice man green style avatar for user Shin Andrei
      If you have a problem like 5/(12/20), you have to solve it by multiplying 5 to the reciprocal of 12/20. So, it'll become like this, 5/(12/20) ----> 5 * 20/12 -----> 100/12 = 25/3.

      Note: Reciprocal is just flipping the integer or fraction over. 5 ----> 1/5 and 12/20 ----> 20/12
      (7 votes)
  • duskpin sapling style avatar for user AFossett_28
    Is it possible to turn 1,000,000,000 into a fraction or a decimal?
    I feel it would be Confusing?
    (6 votes)
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Video transcript

Let's take 63 and divide it by 35. So the first thing that we might say is, OK, well, 35 doesn't go into 6. It does go into 63. It goes into 63 one time, because 2 times 35 is 70, so that's too big. So it goes one time. So let me write that. 1 times 35 is 35. And then if we were to subtract and we can regroup up here, we can take a 10 from the 60, so it becomes a 50, give that 10 to the 3, so it becomes a 13. 13 minus 5 is 8. 5 minus 3 is 2. So you could just say, hey, 63 divided by 35-- let me write this. You could say 63 divided by 35 is equal to 1 remainder 28. But this isn't so satisfying. We know that the real answer is going to be one point something, something, something. So what I want to do is keep dividing. I want to divide this thing completely and see what type of a decimal I actually get. And to do that, I essentially have to add a decimal here and then just keep bringing down decimal places to the right of the decimal. So 63 is the exact same thing as 63.0, and I could add as many zeroes as I might want to add here. So what we could do is we just make sure that this decimals right over there, and we can now bring down a zero from the tenths place right over here. And you bring down that zero, and now we ask ourselves, how many times does 35 go into 280? And, as always, this is a bit of an art when you're dividing a two-digit number into a three-digit number. So let's see, it's definitely going to be-- if I were to say-- so 40 goes into 280 seven times. 30 goes into 280 about nine times. It's going to be between 7 and 9, so let's try 8. So, let's see what 35 times 8 is. 35 times 8. 5 times 8 is 40, 3 times 8 is 24, plus 4 is 28. So it actually works out perfectly. So 35 goes into 280 exactly eight times. 8 times 5, we already figured it out. 8 times 35 is exactly 280, and we don't have any remainder now, so we don't have to bring down any more of these zeroes. So now we know exactly that 63 divided by 35 is equal to exactly 1.8.