What is one tenth? Definition and examples

One tenth is one of 10 equal parts. The figure below shows 10 squares. One of these 10 squares shown in red is one tenth.

We do not need to use 10 squares. We could also use 20 squares and then color 2 squares to show one tenth since 2/20 can be simplified as 1/10.

2/20 = 1/10

If you color 1 square out of 10 squares, one tenth is equal to 1/10

If you color 2 squares out of 20 squares (2×10), one tenth is equal to 2/20

If you color 3 squares out of 30 squares (3×10), one tenth is equal to 3/30

If you color n squares out of 10n squares, one tenth is equal to n/10n

Facts about one tenth

One tenth can be written as 1/10 as a fraction, 0.1 as a decimal, and 10% as a percent.

One dime or 10 cents is equal to one tenth of a dollar.

In the number 0.1, the digit 1 occupies the tenth place.