Decimal separator facts for kids

The decimal separator is a symbol used to mark the border between the integral and the fractional parts of a decimal numeral. This symbol can be a period ("."), as is common in United States and other English-speaking countries, or a comma (","), as in continental Europe. Decimal point and decimal comma are also common names for the decimal separator. For example, 9.5 means nine and one half in English speaking countries, while in many European countries, the same number might be written as 9,5.

Related pages

• Arithmetic precision
• Decimal degrees
• Dewey Decimal System

Images for kids

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  Both a comma and a period (or full-stop) are generally accepted decimal separators for international use.

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  Three ways to group the number ten thousand with digit group separators. 1) Space, the internationally recommended thousands separator. 2) Period (or full stop), the thousands separator used in many non-English speaking countries. 3) Comma, the thousands separator used in most English-speaking countries.

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  The interpunct (·) used as a decimal separator in a British print from 1839

See also

In Spanish: Separador decimal para niños