Place value of whole numbers
A digit's value depends on the column it sits in. Each column is ten times the next.
Place value is the idea that where a digit sits changes its value. In 3 472, the 4 is worth 400, but in 3 274 the same digit 4 is worth only 40.
Reading the chart left to right gives the parts: .
Each column is ten times the one to its right. That single fact is what lets you compare numbers: to decide which of two whole numbers is bigger, line them up by their columns and compare from the left. The first column where they differ decides it.
- A digit's place decides its value.
- Each column is ten times the column to its right.
- A number is the sum of the values of its digits.
- Compare numbers column by column, starting from the left.