Place Value
Place value tells you what each digit in a number is worth based on its position. Moving one place to the left multiplies the value by 10; moving one place to the right divides by 10. For whole numbers the columns are ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands, hundred-thousands, millions.
Common mistake: The value of a digit depends on its column, not just the digit itself. In \(5\,032\), the digit \(3\) is worth \(30\), not \(3\).
Worked example:
Which digit is in the thousands place of \(63\,418\)?
In \(6\,\underline{3}\,418\), the 3 is in the thousands column.
Answer: \(3\).
Worked example:
What is the value of the digit 7 in the number \(3\,726\)?
In \(3\,\underline{7}\,26\), the 7 is in the hundreds column.
Answer: \(700\).