
Unit 7: Numeracy skills
Many students worry about anything to do with numbers, having done little since their exams. These pages will give you practice and explanation in basic processes. Regaining numerical confidence can take a little while but, if you once had the basic skills, practice should bring them back.
Decimals
The most common use of decimals is in the cost of items. If you’ve worked in a shop or pub, you’re probably already familiar with working with decimals.
Addition and Subtraction
The key point with addition and subtraction is to line up the decimal points!
Example 1
2 | . | 6 | 7 | + | 1 | 1 | . | 2 | = | 2 | . | 6 | 7 | |
+ | 1 | 1 | . | 2 | 0 → in this case, it helps to write 11.2 as 11.20 | |||||||||
------------ | ||||||||||||||
1 | 3 | . | 8 | 7 |
Example 2
1 | 4 | . | 7 | 3 | - | 1 | 2 | . | 1 | 5 | 7 | = | 1 | 4 | . | 7 | 3 | 0→ again adding this 0 helps |
- | 1 | 2 | . | 1 | 5 | 7 | ||||||||||||
---------------------- | ||||||||||||||||||
2 | . | 5 | 7 | 3 |
Example 3
1 | 2 | 7 | . | 5 | + | 0 | .1 | 2.7 | = | 1 | 2 | 7 | . | 5 | 0 | 0 | → again adding the 00 helps | |
+ | 0 | . | 1 | 2 | 7 | |||||||||||||
---------------------- | ||||||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | 7 | . | 6 | 2 | 7 |
SMILE - Numeracy skills by Tom Frank, Eric Williams and Clare Wright, University of Birmingham Careers Centre adapted by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.