Decimal Word Problems
Simple How-To w/ 13+ Examples!

Have you ever found yourself stuck on a decimal word problem and not quite sure what to do?

Don’t worry!

You’re in good company because we can all relate to struggling with word problems and wondering how to begin.

Steps In Solving Word Problems

The good thing is that there are steps and tools that you can use that will help to read word problems effectively and boost your confidence.

All you have to do is remember the FACTS!

1. Focus on what you know and not on what you don’t know. Sometimes just looking at word problems can overwhelm us even before we’ve read a single word. The key to problem-solving, especially problem solving with decimals, is to focus on what you know.
2. Actively participate. This means you need to circle or underline keywords or phrases, write down important information that the problem is presenting. Once you write down or mark up the word problem, you will quickly realize that you are always given a ton of information to work with, now you just need to …
3. Choose a method and go for it! What keywords pop out at you? Does it tell you to add or subtract decimals? Multiply, divide, or compare? Maybe you need to approximate so that rounding may be the best method. Or do you need to use more than one method or operation to calculate the correct answer? What is the problem asking, and what is provided that will help you get there?
4. And once you’ve chosen your method, all that’s left is to try it! Don’t give up, even if it’s challenging. The best thing you can do is try! So, try your method of choice and locate the answer you need.
5. Lastly, you need to Scrutinize your work. All this means is that you need to ask yourself, “does my answer make sense?”

Step-by-Step Example

Let’s look at an example.

Helen’s monthly salary is $5463.79.

Her monthly expenses are as follows:

• Rent $2,700
• Transportation $715.12
• Food $650.50
• Utilities $732.48
• Phone & Cable $95.96
• Insurance $156.27

After paying all of her expenses, how much money does Helen have left?

First, we FOCUS on what we know, and we become ACTIVE readers by marking up our problem and writing down keywords and phrases.

Now we CHOOSE our method, which will involve two steps:

1. Adding to find the sum of all of Helen’s monthly bills.
2. Subtracting to see the amount leftover.

And finally, we ask ourselves, does our answer make SENSE?

Yes, Helen has $413.46 remaining after paying all of her bills.

This video will walk you through countless examples of problem-solving using decimals, just like the one above, so that you can attack word problems (like those on IXL) with confidence!

All you need are the FACTS!

Worksheet (PDF) — Hands on Practice

Practice solving decimal word problems with hands-on worksheets (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) & step-by-step solutions.

Practice Problems
Step-by-Step Solutions

Decimal Word Problems – Lesson & Examples (Video)

1 hr 22 min

• Introduction to Video: Problem Solving with Decimals
• 00:00:37 – Review of Keywords and Overview of Problem Solving Steps: FACTS

• 00:08:02 – Solve each one-step problem using decimals (Examples #1-4)
• 00:24:10 – Solve the one-method word problem with decimals (Examples #5-8)
• 00:46:24 – Solve the application problem using two-methods (Examples #9-10)
• 01:02:18 – Solve the decimal word problem using more than one technique (Examples #11-12)
• 01:13:36 – Solve using estimation (Examples #13-14)
• Practice Problems with Step-by-Step Solutions
• Chapter Tests with Video Solutions