Maths Year 5 Fractions, decimals & %
Year 5 maths: decimals as fractions, worked example and two common mistakes
Decimals as fractions is a Year 5 maths topic. In the national curriculum’s words: Read and write decimal numbers as fractions (0.71 = 71/100).
The explanation, example and questions are the ones Remelia uses in the app; the questions are not taken from any test paper.
Decimals as fractions: the idea
A decimal is a fraction with a denominator of 10, 100 or 1000. Read the last digit's column to know which.
How to do it
- Count the digits after the point: one means tenths, two hundredths, three thousandths.
- Write all the decimal digits as the numerator.
- Use 10, 100 or 1000 as the denominator.
A worked example
0.435 = 435/1000.
Watch for
0.71 is 71/100, not 71/10. The last digit is in the hundredths column.
Four questions on decimals as fractions
-
Which decimal is equal to 2/10?
- A 2.0
- B 0.2
- C 0.22
- D 0.02
Show the answer to question 1
Answer: B · 0.2
Why:
2/10 is 2 tenths: 0.2.
-
Write 0.26 as a fraction.
Use a denominator of 1000.
Show the answer to question 2
Answer: 260/1000
Why:
Three decimal places means thousandths: 0.26 = 260/1000.
-
Write 0.5 as a fraction with a denominator of 10.
Show the answer to question 3
Answer: 5/10
Why:
One decimal place is tenths: 0.5 = 5/10.
-
How many hundredths are there in 0.96?
Show the answer to question 4
Answer: 96
Why:
0.96 = 96/100, which is 96 hundredths.
Answers
- 1. B · 0.2
- 2. 260/1000
- 3. 5/10
- 4. 96
Two common mistakes in decimals as fractions
When a wrong answer to a question like these matches one of these mistakes, the app says what the child seems to have done before they try again.
- Question 1, the answer D · 0.02: Your digits are right, but in the wrong columns: your answer is 10 times too small.
- Question 1, the answer A · 2.0: Your digits are right, but in the wrong columns: your answer is 10 times too big.
More Year 5 maths
Remelia starts from what your child’s class has been taught. It practises maths for your child’s own year group, in short sessions, and brings back on later days what they got wrong.
Year 5 fractions, decimals & %, every objective with a question, and six fractions questions with the common mistakes.