When it comes to understanding the decimal system, it is important to have a good grasp of tenths. Tenths are decimals that can be expressed in the format of a fraction where the denominator is 10.

For example, 0.3 can be expressed as 3/10, 0.5 as 5/10, and so on.

Typically, tenths are easy to understand and work with as they descend, meaning they get smaller as you move to the right of the decimal point. So, 0.1 is smaller than 0.2, which is smaller than 0.3 and so on.

However, there are instances when tenths don’t descend, which can be a little trickier to understand.

What are Tenths That Don’t Descend?

Tenths that don’t descend are decimal fractions where the digit in the tenths place (the first digit to the right of the decimal point) remains the same. For example, if you have 0.22, the digit 2 in the tenths place remains the same.

Similarly, if you have 0.55, the digit 5 in the tenths place also remains the same.

These tenths can be written in fraction form as 2/10 and 5/10 respectively. However, when written in decimal form, they can be a little confusing. How do you know which one is larger?.

Comparing Tenths That Don’t Descend

When it comes to comparing tenths that don’t descend, the digit in the hundredths place (the second digit to the right of the decimal point) becomes important.

For example, 0.22 is larger than 0.21 because the 2 in the hundredths place is larger than 1. Similarly, 0.55 is larger than 0.54 because the 5 in the hundredths place is larger than 4.

It’s important to note that not all tenths that don’t descend have the same number in the hundredths place.

For example, 0.25 and 0.35 are both tenths that don’t descend, but 0.35 is larger because the 3 in the tenths place is larger than 2.

Practical Applications of Tenths That Don’t Descend

Understanding tenths that don’t descend can be important in a variety of everyday situations, such as calculating sales tax or figuring out percentages.

For example, if an item costs $10 and there is a 7.5% sales tax, you would need to know how to calculate 10 x 0.075 to figure out the additional cost.

Tenths that don’t descend can also come in handy when you want to divide something into equal parts.

For example, if you need to split a pizza into 10 pieces and you want to make sure they are all the same size, you need to know how to divide a whole number by 10 and express the result as a decimal.