Definition
Decimal point
The decimal point marks the boundary between the ones place and the tenths place.
What it means
Use the point as a fixed doorway. Whole-number places are on the left; fractional decimal places are on the right. In 12.45, 2 is in the ones place, 4 is in the tenths place, and 5 is in the hundredths place.
Remember it
The point sits between ones and tenths.
Example
In 36.407, the decimal point separates 36 wholes from the fractional decimal part. The 4 means 4 tenths, the 0 holds the hundredths place, and the 7 means 7 thousandths.
Watch for
Some countries use a comma instead of a point as the decimal separator. The place-value boundary is the same, but the written mark changes.
Common mix-up
The decimal point does not have a value and is not another place. Read the surrounding digits by their place-value positions.
Exact meaning
In notation that uses a point as the decimal separator, the decimal point marks the boundary between the ones place on its left and the tenths place on its right. It is a separator, not a digit and not a place value.