Mental Math · Decimals · Divide

Divide decimals.

Dividing by a decimal feels awkward, so get rid of it: multiply BOTH numbers by ten (or a hundred) until the divisor is a whole number. The answer doesn't change, and now it's ordinary division.

01 / THE METHOD

How to think about it.

Watch the method

Shift, then divide

4.8 ÷ 0.6: multiply both by 10 → 48 ÷ 6 = 8. Making the divisor whole turns it into easy division.

1 / 2
4.8÷0.64.8 \div 0.6 = ?
1
4.8÷0.6=48÷64.8 \div 0.6 = 48 \div 6

Make the divisor whole — multiply both by 10.

2
48÷6=848 \div 6 = 8

Now it is a whole-number division.

02 / YOUR TURN

Practice until it feels easy.

Your turn

Solve it in your head.

Use the method, then check. Stuck? Reveal the steps.

streak 0
best 0
… =
— / WHY IT WORKS

The idea underneath.

Scale both by the same amount

Multiplying top and bottom of a division by the same number keeps the answer the same. Scale until the divisor is a whole number, then divide normally. For ÷ a whole number, just divide and keep the point.

Why it works

4.8 ÷ 0.6 asks 'how many 0.6s in 4.8?' — same as 'how many 6s in 48?'.

03 / WORKED EXAMPLES

From easy to tricky.

EX 1easy

6.4 ÷ 2

1

Divisor is whole

Just divide: 64 ÷ 2 = 32.

2

Place point

→ 3.2.

EX 2medium

4.8 ÷ 0.6

1

Shift ×10

48 ÷ 6.

2

Divide

48 ÷ 6 = 8.

EX 3hard

12.5 ÷ 2.5

1

Shift ×10

125 ÷ 25.

2

Divide

125 ÷ 25 = 5.

04 / COMMON TRAPS

Where students slip.

Trap

Multiplying only one of the numbers by ten.

Fix

Scale BOTH. 4.8 ÷ 0.6 → 48 ÷ 6, not 48 ÷ 0.6.

Trap

Moving the point the wrong number of places.

Fix

Move both points the same number of places — enough to make the divisor whole.

05 / QUIZ

Test yourself.

The Test

12 problems across three tiers. Auto-graded on submit. Hints and a full walkthrough on every question. Your work is saved on this device — sign in to keep it across devices.

0/12Answered
How to answerType just the value. Formatting won't trip you up — we ignore spaces, capital letters, commas, and subscript style, so t₁ = 5, d = 3 and t1=5,d=3 both count. For a list of numbers, separate them with commas (e.g. 3, 10, 17).
Core

Core (4)

C1

6.4 ÷ 2 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.
C2

9.6 ÷ 3 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.
C3

4.5 ÷ 5 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.
C4

8.4 ÷ 4 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.
Apply

Apply (4)

A1

4.8 ÷ 0.6 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.
A2

1.5 ÷ 0.5 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.
A3

3.6 ÷ 0.4 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.
A4

2.4 ÷ 0.8 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.
Extension

Extension (4)

E1

7.2 ÷ 0.9 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.
E2

5.6 ÷ 0.7 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.
E3

12.5 ÷ 2.5 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.
E4

6.3 ÷ 0.7 = ?

Need a hint?
  • Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both by 10.
  • Then it's ordinary division — keep the point.