Decimals – Grade 6
Compare, add and subtract decimals: align decimal points, append zeros and use place value. Create a free worksheet or try an online test.
🎯 What you will learn
- ✓Compare decimals by place value
- ✓Align decimal separators in calculations
💡 How it works
After the decimal point come tenths, hundredths and thousandths. In 2.35 there are 3 tenths and 5 hundredths.
How it works
💡 Align decimal separators. You may append zeros to the right of the fractional part.
Compare from left to right: whole parts, then tenths, then hundredths. 0.8 exceeds 0.75 because 0.80 has 80 hundredths and 0.75 only 75. More decimal places do not necessarily mean a larger number.
For addition and subtraction, align matching places. Write 3.7 as 3.70 before adding 0.85. Calculate as with whole numbers and keep the decimal point in its column. Check by converting the calculation to hundredths.
🧩 See the method
✍️ Worked examples
Worked examples 1
3,7 + 0,85
- 1.3.7 = 3.70: align decimal points.
- 2.Hundredths: 0 + 5 = 5. Tenths: 7 + 8 = 15, carry 1.
- 3.Whole part: 3 + 0 + 1 = 4. Check: 4.55 − 0.85 = 3.70.
✓ 4,55
Worked examples 2
5 − 2,68
- 1.Write 5 as 5.00.
- 2.In hundredths: 500 − 268 = 232.
- 3.232 hundredths are 2.32. Check: 2.32 + 2.68 = 5.
✓ 2,32
⚠️ Common mistakes
- • Aligning the right edges instead of the decimal points: 3.7 and 0.85 have different decimal lengths.
- • Inserting a zero inside a number: 0.5 = 0.50, but not 0.05.
📝 Try it yourself
1.
0,8 __ 0,75
Show answer
>
2.
2,4 + 1,35
Show answer
3,75
3.
7 − 3,48
Show answer
3,52
4.
0,09 + 0,7
Show answer
0,79
5.
6,05 − 0,8
Show answer
5,25
6.
1,20 __ 1,2
Show answer
=
Create matching questions
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FAQ
Why is 1.2 equal to 1.20?
Two tenths are twenty hundredths. The trailing zero does not change the value.
Does the comma in 2,35 mean a decimal point?
Yes. These exercises use a decimal comma: 2,35 means 2.35 in English notation.