Lesson 2: Represent Rational Numbers and Their Opposites on the Number Line6.NOS.6

I can…

I can place rational numbers, including fractions and decimals, on a number line.

Key words

• Rational Numbers on the Number Line — Every rational number has one exact spot on the number line. Writing it as a fraction, a decimal, or an integer does not change where it sits.
• Rational number — A number that can be written as a fraction of two integers, with a bottom number that is not zero.
• Fraction — A number that shows part of a whole, like 3/4.
• Decimal — A number with a dot, like 0.5, that shows a part less than one.
• Number line — A straight line where numbers are placed in order; numbers get smaller to the left and larger to the right.
• Equivalent — Having the same value, just written a different way.
• Integer — Whole numbers and their opposites, like -2, -1, 0, 1, 2.
• Opposite — A number the same distance from 0 on the other side of 0.

Steps

1. I will plot -2.5 on the number line.
2. First, the integers it falls between: -2.5 is between -2 and -3.
3. The .5 means halfway, so I split the space between -2 and -3 in half.
4. I place my dot exactly halfway between -2 and -3. That is -2.5.

Try it

Which rational number is located between -4 and -5 on the number line?

Check your answer

-4.5

-4.5 is between -4 and -5 because it is 0.5 units to the left of -4. -3.5 is between -3 and -4, and -5.25 is between -5 and -6.

Sentence starter

I know ___ because ___.

Goal: I can explain my reasoning using the words rational number, fraction, decimal, and number line.