Skill 9A: Multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1,000
Multiply and divide whole numbers and decimals by 10, 100 and 1,000.
Download the sheets
Each file is an editable Word document (.docx) with 25 questions in five columns. It opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice, so you can change questions or add working space before printing.
When you multiply or divide by 10, 100 or 1,000, the digits move along the place value columns. The decimal point never moves; the digits do.
Example 1
Multiplying by 100
6.347 × 100
Multiplying by 100 makes every digit move 2 places to the left, because each place is worth 10 times more for each move. The decimal point stays where it is.
6.347 and the answer in a place value table
H
T
O
tenths
hundredths
thousandths
Start
6
3
4
7
× 100
6
3
4
7
The digits keep their order, but each one is now 2 columns to the left. Fill any gaps with zeros, then read the answer: 634.7.
Answer: 634.7
Example 2
Dividing by 1,000
52.8 ÷ 1,000
Dividing by 1,000 makes every digit move 3 places to the right, because each place is worth 10 times less for each move. The decimal point stays where it is.
52.8 and the answer in a place value table
T
O
tenths
hundredths
thousandths
ten-thousandths
Start
5
2
8
÷ 1,000
0
0
5
2
8
The digits keep their order, but each one is now 3 columns to the right. Fill any gaps with zeros, then read the answer: 0.0528.
Answer: 0.0528
Example 3
Multiplying by 10
0.0905 × 10
Multiplying by 10 makes every digit move 1 place to the left, because each place is worth 10 times more for each move. The decimal point stays where it is.
0.0905 and the answer in a place value table
O
tenths
hundredths
thousandths
ten-thousandths
Start
0
0
9
0
5
× 10
0
9
0
5
The digits keep their order, but each one is now 1 column to the left. Fill any gaps with zeros, then read the answer: 0.905.
Answer: 0.905
Top tips
× 10, × 100, × 1,000: digits move 1, 2 or 3 places to the left (bigger).
÷ 10, ÷ 100, ÷ 1,000: digits move 1, 2 or 3 places to the right (smaller).
Use zeros to fill empty places.
Watch out for
Moving the decimal point instead of the digits, and getting the direction wrong.
Losing a zero as a placeholder.
Try some questions
These are from the worksheet. Work each one out, then open it to check.