top of page
Search

# Best Strategies for Multiplying Decimals

Updated: May 20, 2022

Multiplying decimals seems tricky. But in reality, it follows almost the same process as multiplying any non-decimal number, just with one extra step. Let's take a look.

How Does Multiplying Decimals Work?

Whether you are going to multiply decimals or integers (numbers with no decimals or fractional components), you'll always have a multiplicand (the value being multiplied) and a multiplier (the value the multiplicand is being multiplied by):

Both the multiplier and multiplicand above have decimal points in the hundredths place value, meaning that there are two numbers right of the decimal point. This means that the result of multiplying these decimals will be a value with four digits to the right of the decimal point.

Knowing this, lets convert the decimal numbers to whole numbers:

Now, we can proceed with the multiplication of decimals. Later, we'll have to add decimal places to the final answer:

As stated above, the total number of decimal places the resulting value should have is four:

The Secret to Multiplying Decimals

The key to multiplying decimals is first converting the decimals into whole numbers and then multiplying as usual. Once these values have been multiplied, you can then insert the combined amount of decimal points to the resulting value. This strategy not only makes multiplying decimals easier. It also gives you the confidence you need to figure out how to add, subtract, and divide decimals.