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Grade 5 Math · World 5: Measure Mill · Level 48
Divide by Powers of Ten
Watch digits shift right, and explain why.
Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.
What children learn in Level 48
- Dividing does the opposite. Divide 52 by 10, and each digit moves one place right.
- Divide by 10 squared, and digits move two places. The 5 lands in the tenths, and a zero holds the ones place.
- Divide by 10 cubed, and digits move three places. A zero holds the tenths place.
- Why does this work? Each place to the right is 1 tenth as much, so dividing by 10 moves a digit there. The exponent counts the moves.
Georgia's K-12 Mathematics Standards:
- 5.NR.1.2 — Explain patterns in the placement of digits when multiplied or divided by a power of 10. Use whole-number exponents to denote powers of 10, up to 10³.