Grade 6 · Fractions to decimals
Baseball math: how to find a batting average
0:36 video · Watch on YouTube
3 hits in 8 at bats is a batting average of .375. Batting average is hits divided by at bats, so 3 ÷ 8 = 3/8, and because 1/8 = 0.125, 3/8 = 3 × 0.125 = 0.375.
In baseball the 0 is dropped and the average is written .375 and said "three seventy-five". Sports stats like this are a fun way to practice turning fractions into decimals in Grade 6.
The question, solved step by step
A player gets 3 hits in 8 at bats. What is his batting average?
- Batting average = hits ÷ at bats.
- 3 hits in 8 at bats: 3 ÷ 8 = 3/8.
- One eighth is 0.125 (1 ÷ 8 = 0.125).
- Three eighths is three times that: 3 × 0.125 = 0.375.
- Written the baseball way: .375, said "three seventy-five".
Answer
His batting average is .375.
The common mistake
Dividing the wrong way round: 8 ÷ 3 = 2.67. A batting average can never be more than 1, because a player cannot get more hits than at bats.
Parent tip
Learn the eighths together: 1/8 = 0.125, 3/8 = 0.375, 5/8 = 0.625 and 7/8 = 0.875. Once one eighth is known, every other eighth is a quick multiplication.
Video transcript
0:00Baseball math! Can your child find this player's batting average?
0:04He got three hits in eight at bats. What's his average?
0:08Try it together. Three, two, one!
0:11Batting average is hits divided by at bats. So, three eighths.
0:16One eighth is zero point one two five. Three eighths is three times that.
0:21Zero point three seven five! In baseball, you say three seventy-five. That's a great hitter!
0:27Subscribe for more! Want one on one help for your child? Book a free math assessment at taleemsquare.com.
Questions parents ask
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How do you turn 3/8 into a decimal?
What grade learns to change fractions into decimals?
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