Maths · Number Sense
Place value
Identify the value of each digit in numbers up to 10,000.
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What is place value?
Every digit in a number has a value. The value depends on where the digit sits. In the number 245, the 2 is worth 200, not just 2. The 4 is worth 40, and the 5 is worth 5.
The four places we use
Numbers up to 10,000 have four places. From right to left: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands. The thousands place is the biggest. Each place is ten times bigger than the one to its right.
Finding the value of a digit
Look at where the digit sits. Then multiply the digit by its place. In 3,000 the 3 sits in the thousands place. So 3 × 1,000 = 3,000. That is the value of the digit 3.
Zero holds a place
Zero is important. It keeps other digits in the right place. In 5,048 the zero shows there are no hundreds. Without it, we would read 548, which is much smaller.
Worked examples
1. What is the value of the digit 7 in 4,756?
- Find where the 7 sits in 4,756.
- The 7 is in the hundreds place.
- Multiply: 7 × 100 = 700.
- The value of the digit 7 is 700.
2. What is the value of the digit 3 in 8,302?
- Look at 8,302 and find the 3.
- The 3 is in the hundreds place.
- Work it out: 3 × 100 = 300.
- The value of the digit 3 is 300.
3. What is the value of the digit 9 in 9,421?
- The 9 is the first digit in 9,421.
- That means it sits in the thousands place.
- Calculate: 9 × 1,000 = 9,000.
- The value of the digit 9 is 9,000.
Try it yourself
What is the value of the digit 6 in 2,648?
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