Don't be scurred of rational numbers!

Hey guys. I know a lot of you are scratching your heads trying to remember how we graph rational numbers.  Look back at your old test if you have it - many of you graphed them correctly on the test. Here is a video that might help you understand the "why" to graphing rational numbers (after you watch, continue to read below please):
http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=X4EovCa

For those of you having a hard time, let's review:
- A rational number is any number that can be expressed as a fraction (which is, pretty much, any number!)
- All of the rational numbers we've graphed have been LESS than one (between zero and one)

Just so you know, BOTH rational numbers on your final will be "tenths". Just to make things a little easier.

Here's a quick rundown:

If I need to graph 7/10, I know my number lands somewhere between zero and one. Make sure your number line goes from zero to one:

Now, because I'm dealing with tenths, that means I need to divide my number line into ten different sections. It's like saying I'm dividing a giant cake into ten pieces, or cutting a pizza into ten different slices. Just place your lines so that there are ten little sections between 0 and 1:

Now that we have a graph of "tenths" - we can graph our fraction. 7/10 is "seven tenths". So we count seven places from zero to reach our destination (it's like finding the "seventh piece of cake"):

What if you have a decimal? Either turn it into a fraction or say it aloud so you have an understanding of where it goes. For example, 0.3  is "three tenths". Applying what we learned above, we can graph 0.3:

Does this help?