The correct answer and explanation is:
Of course. Here is the answer and explanation.
The correct answer to 72.3 ÷ 100 is 0.723.
To understand how to arrive at this answer, we can use a simple and reliable method for dividing decimal numbers by powers of ten, such as 10, 100, or 1000. This method involves moving the decimal point. The rule is that when you divide by a power of ten, you move the decimal point to the left. The number of places you move the decimal is equal to the number of zeros in the divisor.
In this specific problem, we are dividing 72.3 by 100. The number 100 has two zeros. Therefore, we need to move the decimal point in 72.3 two places to the left to find the solution.
Let’s follow the steps:
- Start with the original number: 72.3
- Locate the decimal point, which is currently between the 2 and the 3.
- Move the decimal point one place to the left. The number becomes 7.23.
- Move the decimal point a second place to the left. This places it before the 7, giving us .723.
For clarity in writing numbers, it is standard practice to place a zero in front of a decimal point when there are no other digits in the ones place. So, .723 is written as 0.723.
This shortcut works because dividing by 100 makes the value of each digit one hundred times smaller. The 7 in the tens place becomes 7 in the tenths place (0.7). The 2 in the ones place becomes 2 in the hundredths place (0.02). The 3 in the tenths place becomes 3 in the thousandths place (0.003). When you add these new values together (0.7 + 0.02 + 0.003), you get 0.723. Moving the decimal point is a quick way to perform this place value shift.
