write five ten thousandths as a decimal
The correct answer and explanation is:
Five ten thousandths written as a decimal is 0.0005.
Explanation:
To understand how five ten thousandths is represented as a decimal, it is important to break down the place value of the number. The term “ten thousandths” refers to the fourth place to the right of the decimal point.
In the decimal system, each place value corresponds to a power of 10:
- The first place to the right of the decimal point is the tenths place, which represents 10−110^{-1} or 0.1.
- The second place is the hundredths place, representing 10−210^{-2} or 0.01.
- The third place is the thousandths place, which represents 10−310^{-3} or 0.001.
- The fourth place is the ten thousandths place, which represents 10−410^{-4} or 0.0001.
So, when we say “five ten thousandths,” it means we have a 5 in the ten thousandths place, or 5×10−45 \times 10^{-4}. Therefore, it is written as 0.0005.
To break it down further:
- Start with the decimal point: 0.
- Move to the right to the first four decimal places, where the 5 occupies the ten thousandths place.
Thus, 0.0005 is the correct representation of five ten thousandths as a decimal.
This way of expressing small numbers as decimals is essential in fields such as mathematics, science, and finance, where precision is key in measurements and calculations.