Multiplying and dividing by powers of ten, step by step
Multiplying and dividing by 10, 100, and 1000 is not really multiplication — it is the decimal point moving.
The question
1.2 × 100
1.2×100
12
120
- 100 is 10 × 10, so there are 2 moves to make — one for each ten.
- × 10 — every digit is worth ten times as much, so the point steps one place right: 12.
- And × 10 again — every digit is worth ten times as much, so the point steps one place right: 120. The digits never changed — only where the point sits. 1.2 × 100 = 120.
How it works.
- 01
100 is 10 × 10, so there are 2 moves to make — one for each ten.
- 02
× 10 — every digit is worth ten times as much, so the point steps one place right: 12.
- 03
And × 10 again — every digit is worth ten times as much, so the point steps one place right: 120. The digits never changed — only where the point sits. 1.2 × 100 = 120.