Skill: Recognize tenths in models

A tenth is one of $10$ equal parts of a whole.

If one whole is divided into $10$ equal parts, each part is:

$$\frac{1}{10}=0.1$$

Example

A rectangle is divided into $10$ equal parts. $4$ parts are shaded.

1. Check the parts.
   There are $10$ equal parts, so each part is one tenth.

2. Count the shaded parts.
   $4$ parts are shaded.

3. Write the amount as a fraction.
   The shaded amount is:

$$\frac{4}{10}$$

4. Write the amount as a decimal.
   Four tenths is:

$$0.4$$

So, the model shows four tenths, or $\frac{4}{10}$, or $0.4$.

Remember: the parts must be equal. If the whole is split into parts of different sizes, those parts are not all tenths.