Place Value

Place value helps your child understand what each digit in a number really means. For example, in the number $527$, the $5$ means $500$, because it sits in the hundreds column.

Whole Numbers

Each digit in a number has a different value depending on its place. The main columns your child needs to know are:

• Millions
• Hundreds of thousands
• Tens of thousands
• Thousands
• Hundreds
• Tens
• Ones (sometimes called units)

The example above shows what each digit is worth in the number $6, 543, 179$. This number can be spoken in words as:

six million, five hundred and forty–three thousand, one hundred and seventy–nine 

• Always start from the right-hand side when placing digits in columns
• Each place is $10$ times bigger than the one to the right
• Whole numbers have a greater value when they have more digits e.g. $4561$ is greater than $984$ because it has a thousands digit.
• To work out the bigger number between whole numbers with the same number of digits, you will need to look at the value of each digit starting from the left e.g. $361$ is greater than $298$ because the hundreds digit is larger.

Your child will also need to understand place value in decimal numbers, especially for the 11+.

Here’s how to explain it:

In the number $3.475:$

• The $3$ is in the ones place
• The $4$ is in the tenths place
• The $7$ is in the hundredths place
• The $5$ is in the thousands place

Each digit is worth $10$ times as much as the digit to the right. For example $2$ tenths $=20$ hundredths

What number is the arrow pointing to on this number line? 

Let’s start by looking at the two numbers at the ends of the number line. It starts at $4.0$ and ends at $4.1$, so we know the arrow must be pointing to a number between those two.

Now count how many spaces the number line is divided into. There are $10$ equal parts between $4.0$ and $4.1$. That means each step is worth $0.01$ – these are called hundredths.

Next, count how many steps the arrow is from $4.0$. If the arrow is pointing to the third mark, then we just do:

$4.0 + 0.03 = 4.03$

So, the arrow is pointing to $4.03$.