Adding zeros to the end of a decimal number does not change the value of the number. This is because the decimal part of the number is a fraction, or a part of a whole. Adding extra zeros to the end of a decimal number creates equivalent fractional values.
We read the value as "two tenths." What happens when we add a zero after the 2?
The value becomes "twenty hundredths." Now, is .20 different from .2? Let's find out.
This is what .2, or two tenths, looks like:
And this is what .20, or twenty hundredths, looks like:
Is there any difference? No, .2 is the same as .20.
This is .8, and we read it as "eight tenths." To get a value equal to .8, we add a zero after 8.
Our value is "eighty hundredths."We know that .80 is the same as .8. We can add another zero to find a value that is equal to these two decimal numbers.
We get eight hundred thousandths, or .800.
Now you know that .8 is equal to .80 and .800. The value doesn't change even if you add more zeros to the end.
