A decimal represents a part of a whole number and is used to represent fractions or amounts less than one. It is commonly used to represent monetary amounts by showing the fractional part of a dollar. To read a decimal, you say the whole number followed by the name of the place value of the decimal place being read, such as twelve and thirty-five hundredths for 12.35. Decimals can be compared by writing them with lined up decimal points and ordering them place value by place value from largest to smallest.