Imagine you’re at the grocery store, weighing fruits and vegetables, or perhaps you’re planning a trip and need to calculate distances. In both scenarios, decimals come into play, helping us make sense of the world around us.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at decimals and their real-life applications. From measuring ingredients in recipes to budgeting for expenses, decimals are everywhere, quietly making our lives easier.
What are Decimals in Maths?
Decimals are a way of representing parts of a whole number. In mathematics, decimals are a numerical system that extends the idea of whole numbers to include values less than one. They are written using a decimal point to separate the whole number part from the fractional part.
For example, consider the number 3.75. Here, 3 is the whole number part, and .75 is the decimal part. The decimal point separates the two parts, indicating that .75 represents 75 hundredths of a whole.
Applications of Decimals in Real-Life
We use decimals every day while dealing with money, weight, length etc. Decimal numbers are used in situations where more precision is required than the whole numbers can provide. Some of the common applications are in the field of:
- Banking and Finance
- Cooking and Recipes
- Length and Weight
- Sports and Fitness
- Health and Medicine
- Travel and Navigation
- Science and Engineering
Let’s discuss these applications in detail.
Banking and Finance
Currency Transactions: The prices for goods and services often include decimal values (e.g., $15.99) to indicate cents. This makes it possible to represent monetary values precisely.
Interest Calculations: Banks utilise decimals to determine the interest rates on savings accounts and loans. For instance, a loan might have an interest rate of 3.25%, expressed as a decimal.
Cooking and Recipes
Measuring Ingredients: When cooking, recipes frequently ask for measuring ingredients like flour or sugar in decimals (e.g., 0.5 cups of flour). This degree of accuracy helps in giving meals a proper flavour and consistency.
Temperature Control: For exact control while cooking, oven temperatures can be adjusted in decimal notation (e.g., 350.5°F) during baking.
Length and Weight
Length: We often use decimals to measure the length and height precisely, also in the conversion of length from one unit to another unit. For example, The height of the person is 165 cm and 2 mm. Then, his total height is given by 165.2 cm.
Weight: We often use decimals in dealing with weight calculations precisely. The exact weight of objects sometimes will not be whole numbers. In such cases, to measure the weight, we use decimals. For example, the weight of apples is 3 kg and 500 g, and it can be written as 3.5 kg.
Sports and Fitness
Sports: Decimals have a lot of applications in sports. Decimals are everywhere in sports. Decimals are used to calculate the speed of the athlete, speed of the balls in cricket, time taken in running, calculating scores and also finding the winning percentage etc.
Fitness: Nowadays, more people are getting health-conscious. This means people are following their food habits based on the calories. Calories of the food items can be represented using decimals for accuracy. The different types of equipment in the gym, such as trade mill, dumbles etc., use decimals for readings.
Health and Medicine
Calculation of Dosages: Decimals are used by medical experts to determine the dosage of medications to be taken by patients. For example, a patient may require 0.25 milligrams(mgs) of a particular medication for his/her treatment.
BMI (body mass index): Weight and height in decimal form—that is, weight in kilograms and height in meters—are used to compute BMI. This helps in the determination of an individual’s underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese status by classifying the range of BMI values to a particular category.
Travel and Navigation
Distance Measurements: Decimals are used in measuring distance and speed when driving or flying (e.g., 25.7 miles/hr). This gives a more precise estimate of the amount of fuel and journey time.
Global Positioning System(GPS): For tracking accurate location, GPS coordinates are expressed in decimal degrees (e.g., 37.7749° N, 122.4194° W).
Science and Engineering
Laboratory Measurements: To achieve a reliable results in experiments, scientists measure things with great accuracy using decimals (e.g., 0.025 grams of a chemical component).
Design Specifications: Engineers use decimals to obtain precise measurements, such 0.725 cm for a component’s dimension. For precise length measurements devices such as Vernier Caliper and Screw gauge are used.
Related Articles
FAQs: Applications of Decimals
What are some everyday uses of decimals?
Decimals are used in various everyday activities such as shopping (calculating prices and discounts), cooking (measuring ingredients), and budgeting (tracking expenses and income).
How are decimals used in financial transactions?
Decimals are crucial in financial transactions for handling money. They are used to represent prices, calculate sales tax, and determine discounts. Additionally, decimals are used in banking for calculating interest rates and managing accounts.
How are decimals used in measurements?
Decimals are used to represent measurements in units such as length, weight, volume, and time. For example, decimal numbers are used in measuring distances on maps, weighing ingredients in recipes, and recording time intervals.
What role do decimals play in science and engineering?
Decimals are used extensively in scientific and engineering calculations. They are used to represent precise measurements in experiments, calculate proportions in chemical reactions, and analyze data in fields such as physics, chemistry, and engineering.
How are decimals used in statistics and data analysis?
Decimals are used in statistics and data analysis to represent numerical data with precision. They are used to calculate averages, percentages, and probabilities, as well as to interpret and present data in graphs and charts.