LESSON 2 Tenths

Measuring to the Nearest Tenth of a Meter

In the last lesson, Lee Yah used skinnies to measure to the nearest decimeter. She lined up skinnies along a meterstick. She learned that a skinny is one decimeter long and that a decimeter is one tenth of a meter.

How many skinnies can you lay along the edge of your meterstick?
The length of one skinny is what fraction of a meterstick?

The fraction for one-tenth can be written as a common fraction (). The denominator (the number on the bottom) tells us that the meterstick is divided into ten equal parts. The numerator (the number on the top) tells us that a skinny is one of these parts.

The fraction for one-tenth can also be written as a decimal fraction (0.1). The decimal point tells us that the numbers to the right of the decimal point are smaller than 1.

Place 3 skinnies along the edge of a meterstick.

The length of 3 skinnies is what fraction of a meter?
Write this fraction as a common fraction and as a decimal fraction.