Place Value
⭐ MasteredThe position of a digit tells its value. In 3,482 the 4 means 400 because it's in the hundreds place.
Zero is a placeholder that keeps other digits in the right place.
All about Place Value
Place value means the value of a digit depends on its position in a number. In the number 3,482, the 3 is in the thousands place, the 4 is in the hundreds place, the 8 is in the tens place and the 2 is in the ones place.
Each place is ten times bigger than the place to its right. This is why our number system is called base ten. Understanding place value is the key to adding, subtracting, rounding and reading large numbers.
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Real-life uses of Place Value
- Reading large numbers, such as the population of a town
- Writing numbers in words on a cheque or form
- Understanding why 5 in the tens place is worth fifty, not five
Frequently asked questions about Place Value
What is the value of 7 in 4,765?
7 is in the hundreds place, so its value is 700.
How do you write 3,000 + 200 + 40 + 5 as a number?
3,245.
Why is it called base ten?
Each place value is ten times the value of the place to its right, and we use ten digits from 0 to 9.