Both grids and number lines are visual tools that help us understand decimals, but they do so in different ways. Grids use area to represent the whole and its parts, while number lines use length.
A grid typically represents a whole divided into 100 equal parts (hundredths). Each small square represents one hundredth or $0.01$. You can also have grids representing tenths, where the whole is divided into 10 equal parts.
A number line is a line where numbers are placed at intervals corresponding to their numerical value. For decimals, a segment between two whole numbers (e.g., 0 and 1) is divided into ten equal parts (tenths) or one hundred equal parts (hundredths) to represent decimal values.
| Feature | Grid | Number Line |
|---|---|---|
| Representation | Area-based | Length-based |
| Visual Focus | Part-to-whole relationship | Position and magnitude |
| Common Use | Showing fractions and percentages easily | Comparing and ordering numbers |
| Example | Shading 37 squares out of 100 to represent 0.37 | Marking a point on the line at 0.37 between 0 and 1 |
| Best for | Visualizing proportions | Visualizing sequential order and distance between numbers |
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