Understand how the position of a digit determines its value
In our number system, the position of a digit tells us its value.
We use a base-10 (decimal) system. Each place is worth 10 times the place to its right.
| Millions | Hundred Thousands | Ten Thousands | Thousands | Hundreds | Tens | Ones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000,000 | 100,000 | 10,000 | 1,000 | 100 | 10 | 1 |
| Digit | Place | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Thousands | 5,000 |
| 8 | Hundreds | 800 |
| 4 | Tens | 40 |
| 7 | Ones | 7 |
Total:
Writing a number as the sum of its place values:
To compare multi-digit numbers:
Example: Compare 4,532 and 4,589
So
To round to a place value:
Example: Round 847 to the nearest hundred