Introduction
Brad knows the place value column names and reads numbers conventionally, digit by digit. However, when asked to explain 4.26 he reveals that he thinks both the 2 and the 6 are in a fat tenths "column". Initial zeros indicate which of his fat "columns" the decimal digits belong to.

Comments: Text in italics
Interviewer: Text in red
Brad: Text other colour

Interviewer:
Could you please read out the numbers on these cards?

Brad:
point 4

Correct. Many teachers encourage beginners to read this as four tenths.

Brad:
nine point seven

Correct, either this or nine and seven tenths.

Brad:
point one six three

Brad:
Point oh two five

Zero or nought is preferable to 'oh'.

Brad:
Point nine seven

Brad:
Four point two six

Interviewer:
If a friend asked you to explain what this last number means, what could you say to help them?

Brad:
Well the 4 means 4 ones and then there are 26 tenths as well.

Interviewer:
Can you tell me the names for the columns after the point?

Brad:
If the numbers after the point start here then they are tenths...

Brad:
...and if the number starts here, then it's hundredths.

Interviewer:
What do you mean?

Brad:
Well if that was a zero instead of the two...

Brad:
...that would be 4.06, and that would be 4 and 6 hundredths.

Interviewer:
What about if there was another number after the 6?

Brad:
Well if there was a 7 at the end...

Brad:
...it would still be 67 hundredths because the hundredths start there. You don't call it thousandths yet, even though it looks like it might be in the thousandths.

Interviewer:
So when do we call it thousandths?

Brad:
When there are two zeros at the start, that's when it moves into thousandths.

Interviewer:
Like this?

Brad:
Yeah...that's 8 thousandths. The zeros tell you which name to use.