Multiply fractions and decimals discussion

Imagine that your neighbor is scrolling through social media. Your cousin is considering making an in-app purchase. Use the information provided to complete the discussion

1 answer

Neighbor: Hey, did you know that you can buy virtual currencies and items within some apps? I just saw my cousin talking about it.

You: Oh yeah, those are called in-app purchases. They can be pretty convenient, but you have to be careful not to overspend.

Neighbor: Yeah, that's true. I wonder how they calculate the prices though. Like, do they use fractions or decimals?

You: That's a good question. In most cases, in-app purchases are calculated using decimals. Decimals are a way of representing fractions and can make calculations easier.

Neighbor: I remember learning about decimals in school, but I'm a bit rusty. Can you give me an example of how decimals are used in these calculations?

You: Sure, let's say your cousin wants to buy virtual currency worth $5 and the exchange rate is $0.25 for 1 unit of currency. To find out how much your cousin needs to spend, we can multiply the number of units by the exchange rate using decimals.

Neighbor: Got it. So it would be 5 x 0.25?

You: Exactly! Multiplying 5 by 0.25 gives you 1.25. So your cousin would need to spend $1.25 to get the desired amount of virtual currency.

Neighbor: That makes sense. So, in these calculations, we use decimals to represent the fractions and then multiply them to find the final amount.

You: Exactly! Decimals are a convenient way to represent fractions when dealing with money. Just remember to carefully check the exchange rate and do the calculations correctly to avoid overspending.

Neighbor: Thanks for explaining that. It's good to understand how these in-app purchases work.

You: No problem! It's always helpful to understand the math behind these transactions to make more informed decisions. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!