GRADE 7 MATHEMATICS
Lesson 5: Say It with Decimals
Let’s use decimals to describe increases and decreases.
5.1: Notice and Wonder: Fractions to Decimals
A calculator gives the following decimal expansions for some unit fractions:
1 1
2
= 0.5 7
= 0.142857143
1 1
3
= 0.3333333 8
= 0.125
1 1
4
= 0.25 9
= 0.1111111
1 1
5
= 0.2 10
= 0.1
1 1
6
= 0.1666667 11
= 0.0909091
What do you notice? What do you wonder?
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Unit 9: Proportional Relationships and Percentages Lesson 5: Say It with Decimals 27
GRADE 7 MATHEMATICS
5.2: Repeating Decimals
1. Use long division to express each fraction as a decimal.
9 11 4
25 30 11
2. What is similar about your answers to the previous question? What is different?
3. Use the decimal representations to decide which of these fractions has the greatest
value. Explain your reasoning.
Are you ready for more?
22
One common approximation for π is 7 . Express this fraction as a decimal. How does this
approximation compare to 3.14?
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Unit 9: Proportional Relationships and Percentages Lesson 5: Say It with Decimals 28
GRADE 7 MATHEMATICS
5.3: More and Less with Decimals
1. Match each diagram with a description and an
equation.
Diagrams:
2. Draw a diagram for one of the unmatched equations.
5.4: Card Sort: More Representations
Your teacher will give you a set of cards that have proportional relationships represented 2
different ways: as descriptions and equations. Mix up the cards and place them all face-up.
Take turns with a partner to match a description with an equation.
1. For each match you find, explain to your partner how you know it’s a match.
2. For each match your partner finds, listen carefully to their explanation, and if you
disagree, explain your thinking.
3. When you have agreed on all of the matches, check your answers with the
answer key. If there are any errors, discuss why and revise your matches.
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Unit 9: Proportional Relationships and Percentages Lesson 5: Say It with Decimals 29
GRADE 7 MATHEMATICS
Lesson 5 Summary
Long division gives us a way of finding decimal expansions for fractions.
9
For example, to find a decimal expansion for 8
, we can divide 9 by 8.
9
So 8
= 1.125 .
Sometimes it is easier to work with the decimal expansion of a number,
and sometimes it is easier to work with its fraction representation. It is
important to be able to work with both. For example, consider the
following pair of problems:
• Priya earned x dollars doing chores, and Kiran earned 65 as much as
Priya. How much did Kiran earn?
• Priya earned x dollars doing chores, and Kiran earned 1.2 times as much as Priya.
How much did Kiran earn?
6
Since 5 = 1.2 , these are both exactly the same problem, and the answer is 65 x or 1.2x .
When we work with percentages in later lessons, the decimal representation will come in
especially handy.
Lesson 5 Glossary Terms
repeating decimal
A repeating decimal is an infinite decimal expansion that eventually repeats the same
sequence of digits over and over again. The repeated sequence is indicated by a line
above it.
terminating decimal
A terminating decimal is a decimal number that has digits that end.
My Reflections
Lesson 5: Say It with Decimals
● I can write fractions as decimals.
● I can use the distributive property to rewrite an equation like x + 0.5x = 1.5x .
● I understand that “half as much again” and “multiply by 1.5” mean the same thing.
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Unit 9: Proportional Relationships and Percentages Lesson 5: Say It with Decimals 30
GRADE 7 MATHEMATICS
Lesson 5: Practice Problems
1. a. Match each diagram with a description and an equation.
Descriptions: Equations:
2
An increase by 3 y = 1.83 x
5
An increase by 6 y = 1.6 x
2
A decrease by 5
y = 0.6x
5
A decrease by 11
y = 0.4x
b. Draw a diagram for one of the unmatched equations.
2. At the beginning of the month, there were 80 ounces of peanut butter in the pantry.
Since then, the family ate 0.3 of the peanut butter. How many ounces of peanut butter
are in the pantry now?
a. 0.7 · 80
b. 0.3 · 80
c. 80−0.3
d. (1 + 0.3) · 80
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Unit 9: Proportional Relationships and Percentages Lesson 5: Say It with Decimals 31
GRADE 7 MATHEMATICS
3.
a. On a hot day, a football team drank an entire 50-gallon cooler of water and half as
much again. How much water did they drink?
1_
b. Jada has 12 library books checked out and Han has 3 less than that. How many
books does Han have checked out?
4. If x represents a positive number, select all expressions whose value is greater
than x .
a. (1− 14 ) x
b. (1 + 14 ) x
7
c. 8
x
9
d. 8
x
5. A person's resting heart rate is typically between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Noah
looks at his watch, and counts 8 heartbeats in 10 seconds.
a. Is his heart rate typical? Explain how you know.
b. Write an equation for h , the number of times Noah’s heart beats (at this rate)
in m minutes.
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Unit 9: Proportional Relationships and Percentages Lesson 5: Say It with Decimals 32
