How to Multiply and Divide Decimals? (+FREE Worksheet!)

This guide shows how to multiply and divide decimals, step by step. Work through the explanation and the solved examples, then check yourself with the free printable worksheet and the interactive practice tool on this page.

Multiplying and dividing decimals are skills you will use throughout the GED Math test — in money problems, measurement conversions, and data questions. Once you learn two straightforward rules (where to place the decimal point), these problems become as easy as whole-number arithmetic. This guide walks you through each rule with clear examples and practice exercises.

What Are Decimals?

A decimal is a way of writing numbers that are between whole numbers. The decimal point separates the whole-number part from the fractional part. For example, (color{blue}{3.75}) means 3 wholes and 75 hundredths. Every decimal can also be written as a fraction: (color{blue}{3.75 = frac{375}{100} = frac{15}{4}}).

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How to Multiply Decimals

Multiplying decimals follows the same steps as multiplying whole numbers, with one extra step at the end for the decimal point.

Step 1: Multiply as if the numbers are whole numbers

Ignore the decimal points completely and multiply the digits.

Step 2: Count total decimal places

Count the total number of digits to the right of the decimal point in both factors combined.

Step 3: Place the decimal point

Starting from the right of the product, count left by that total number of places and insert the decimal point.

Quick example: (color{blue}{2.3 times 1.4})

Multiply (color{blue}{23 times 14 = 322}). Total decimal places: (color{blue}{1 + 1 = 2}). So the answer is (color{blue}{3.22}).

How to Divide Decimals

Division with decimals uses one key strategy: make the divisor a whole number before you divide.

Step 1: Move the decimal in the divisor

Shift the decimal point in the divisor to the right until it becomes a whole number. Count how many places you moved it.

Step 2: Move the decimal in the dividend the same number of places

Shift the dividend’s decimal point the same number of places to the right (add zeros if needed).

Step 3: Divide normally

Now divide as you would with whole numbers and bring the decimal straight up into the quotient.

Quick example: (color{blue}{6.4 div 0.8})

Move each decimal one place right: (color{blue}{64 div 8 = 8}). Answer: (color{blue}{8}).

Step-by-Step Summary

1. To multiply: Multiply as whole numbers, then count the total decimal places in both factors and place the decimal point that many spots from the right.
2. To divide: Move the divisor’s decimal point right until it is a whole number; move the dividend’s decimal point the same number of places; then divide normally.
3. Always double-check reasonableness: multiplying two numbers less than 1 gives a smaller result; dividing by a decimal less than 1 gives a larger result.

Watch: Multiplying and Dividing Decimals (Video Lesson)

This Math Antics lesson covers decimal arithmetic including multiplication and division with visual step-by-step examples:

Worked Examples

Example 1: Find (color{blue}{4.5 times 0.3})

Multiply (color{blue}{45 times 3 = 135}). Total decimal places: (color{blue}{1 + 1 = 2}). Place decimal 2 from the right: (color{blue}{1.35}).

Example 2: Find (color{blue}{0.6 times 0.04})

Multiply (color{blue}{6 times 4 = 24}). Total decimal places: (color{blue}{1 + 2 = 3}). Result is (color{blue}{0.024}) (need a leading zero to have 3 decimal places).

Example 3: Find (color{blue}{8.4 div 0.07})

Move the divisor decimal 2 places right: (color{blue}{0.07 rightarrow 7}). Move dividend 2 places right: (color{blue}{8.4 rightarrow 840}). Divide: (color{blue}{840 div 7 = 120}).

Example 4: Find (color{blue}{12.6 div 1.4})

Move each decimal 1 place right: (color{blue}{126 div 14 = 9}). Answer: (color{blue}{9}).

More Practice: Khan Academy Video

This Khan Academy video introduces multiplying decimals with clear visual models:

Exercises

1. (color{blue}{3.6 times 0.5})
2. (color{blue}{0.8 times 0.09})
3. (color{blue}{7.2 times 1.5})
4. (color{blue}{9.6 div 0.4})
5. (color{blue}{5.25 div 0.05})
6. (color{blue}{14.4 div 1.2})

Answers

1. (color{blue}{1.80})
2. (color{blue}{0.072})
3. (color{blue}{10.80})
4. (color{blue}{24})
5. (color{blue}{105})
6. (color{blue}{12})

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you count decimal places when multiplying?

Because multiplying by 10, 100, etc. shifts the decimal point. Counting total decimal places is a shortcut that accounts for those shifts automatically, keeping the answer correctly scaled.

Does dividing by a decimal always give a bigger answer?

When the divisor is between 0 and 1 (exclusive), yes — the quotient is larger than the dividend. For example, (color{blue}{5 div 0.5 = 10}). When the divisor is greater than 1, the quotient is smaller.

What if the product doesn’t have enough digits to place the decimal?

Add leading zeros. For instance, (color{blue}{0.2 times 0.3 = 0.06}) — the product of 2 and 3 is 6, and since we need 2 decimal places, we write (color{blue}{0.06}).

Related Topics

• Adding and Subtracting Decimals
• Convert Between Fractions and Decimals
• Order of Decimals, Mixed Numbers, and Fractions
• Repeating Decimals
• Using Number Lines to Represent Rational Numbers