4th Grade Tenths, Hundredths and Decimal Notation Lesson (Free PDF)

Tenths and hundredths are decimal places. One tenth is 1/10, or 0.1, and one hundredth is 1/100, or 0.01. Ten hundredths make one tenth, so 3/10 = 30/100 = 0.30. To compare decimals, write them to the same place, then compare the digits from left to right.

Grade 4 · Common Core State Standards: 4.NF.C.5, 4.NF.C.6, 4.NF.C.7

What are tenths and hundredths?

Imagine a square cut into 100 equal small squares. One small square is one hundredth, written \(\frac{1}{100}\). A column of 10 small squares is one tenth, written \(\frac{1}{10}\).

How do you write a fraction as a decimal?

A decimal point separates the ones from the parts smaller than 1. The first place after the point is tenths. The second is hundredths. \(\frac{3}{10} = 0.3\) and \(\frac{34}{100} = 0.34\).

How do you add tenths and hundredths?

Write the tenths as hundredths first so the denominators match. Example: \(\frac{3}{10} + \frac{4}{100}\).

1. Change tenths to hundredths: \(\frac{3}{10} = \frac{30}{100}\).
2. Add the numerators: \(30 + 4 = 34\).
3. Write the sum: \(\frac{30}{100} + \frac{4}{100} = \frac{34}{100} = 0.34\).

How do you compare decimals?

Compare the digits from left to right, but only when the numbers are written to the same place. Write 0.4 as 0.40. Then compare 40 hundredths with 38 hundredths: \(0.40 > 0.38\). So 0.4 is greater than 0.38 even though 38 is a bigger number than 4.

Money works the same way. A dime is $0.10, which is 10 hundredths of a dollar, and a penny is $0.01, one hundredth of a dollar. Three dimes and four pennies make $0.34.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Thinking a longer decimal is greater. The decimal 0.4 is greater than 0.38, because 0.4 is the same as 0.40.
• Adding the digits without place value. In \(\frac{3}{10} + \frac{4}{100}\), the answer is 0.34, not 0.7.
• Mixing up the places. The digit right after the decimal point is tenths. The next digit is hundredths.

A quick check: draw a 10 by 10 grid. Shade whole columns for the tenths and single squares for the hundredths, then count all the shaded squares to find the number of hundredths.

Questions about tenths, hundredths and decimal notation

All Grade 4 chapters: Grade 4 math.

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