Place Value Chart
A place value chart shows how a number is built from ones, tens, hundreds and further places. In 3,456.78 there are 3 thousands, 4 hundreds, 5 tens, 6 ones, 7 tenths and 8 hundredths.
Source: Wikipedia – Stellenwertsystem. Updated: .
How it is calculated
A place value chart assigns each digit of a number to its place. Moving left, the value of each place grows tenfold: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands and so on. To the right of the decimal point the places shrink: tenths, hundredths, thousandths.
How to read the chart
The header row holds the value of each place and the row below holds the digit. The value of a digit is the digit times the place value: the 4 in the hundreds place means 4 × 100 = 400, and the 8 in the hundredths place means 8 × 0.01 = 0.08. The expanded form 3,000 + 400 + 50 + 6 + 0.7 + 0.08 puts the number back together from these values.
What the chart is good for
With a place value chart, children practise reading large numbers, compare numbers digit by digit and see why zero matters as a placeholder: in 305 there is a 0 in the tens place, and without it the number would be 35. Rounding also gets easier, because you can see which place decides.
- Enter the number with a decimal point; commas as thousands separators are fine.
- The chart reaches the hundred billions and the millionths.
- Leading zeros are ignored, and so are trailing zeros after the decimal point.
Counters, regrouping, practice and printing
Above the breakdown there is a chart for placing counters, from billions to thousandths. Each + puts a counter in that place and each − takes one away; the number you build appears in the “Number” field. If a place already holds 9 counters, the next one regroups: 19 plus one more one becomes 20, that is 2 tens and 0 ones. It works the other way too: take a one away from 20 and 1 ten and 9 ones remain.
Under “Practice” the tool asks for the digit in a given place and counts your correct answers; nothing is stored. The chart can be printed as a landscape PDF, blank for writing in or filled in with the current number. The “In words” line writes the number out.
Frequently asked questions
How do I put a number into a place value chart?
Write each digit in the column of its place, starting with the ones just left of the decimal point and the tenths just right of it. The calculator does this for you: enter the number and read the chart.
What does the 0 mean in a place value chart?
Zero holds a place open. In 4,050 there are no hundreds and no ones; the zeros show that and make sure the 4 really means thousands.
What are the places after the decimal point called?
Tenths, hundredths, thousandths, ten-thousandths, hundred-thousandths and millionths. In 0.75 there are 7 tenths and 5 hundredths.
Sources and legal basis
- Wikipedia – Stellenwertsystem
- Wikipedia – Positional notation
- Wikipedia – Dezimalsystem (place values and names of the powers of ten)
As of: · Editorial policy
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