Definition
Decimal place
A position to the right of the decimal point, such as tenths or hundredths.
What it means
The first place after the decimal point is tenths, then hundredths, then thousandths. A digit changes value when it moves to a different place, even if the digit itself stays the same.
Remember it
Each step right is ten times smaller in place value.
Example
In 6.407, 4 is in the tenths place, 0 is in the hundredths place, and 7 is in the thousandths place.
Watch for
The decimal point is the separating mark. A decimal place is one of the positions to its right.
Common mix-up
The digit and its place are different: in 0.7, the digit is 7 and its decimal place is tenths.
Exact meaning
A decimal place is a position in a decimal numeral to the right of the decimal point; each step to the right has one tenth the place value of the step before it.