What Is Place Value?
Mathematics · Numbers and Place Value · Grades 1–6
Meaning at a glance
Place value means a digit is worth different amounts depending on where it sits in a number. In 253, the 5 is worth 5 tens, which is 50.
Also searched as: place values, value of a digit, ones tens hundreds.
Understand it simply
We write every number with just ten digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. What makes 253 different from 523 is the place each digit is in.
Each place is worth 10 times the place to its right: ones, then tens, then hundreds, then thousands, and so on.
See it work
Take the number 4,752. Put each digit in its place:
| Thousands | Hundreds | Tens | Ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| 4,000 | 700 | 50 | 2 |
So 4,752 = 4,000 + 700 + 50 + 2. This is called expanded form.
Avoid this confusion
A digit and its value are not the same thing. In 3,030 there are two 3s. The first 3 is worth 3,000 and the second is worth 30.
Zero holds a place. 305 means 3 hundreds, 0 tens and 5 ones. If you leave the zero out you get 35, a very different number.
Try it yourself
Work these out first, then check your answers below.
What is the value of the 6 in 4,682?
Write the number: 7 hundreds, 0 tens and 9 ones.
Which number is greater, 539 or 593?
Check your understanding
Show the answer to question 1
Answer: 600
The 6 is in the hundreds place, so it is worth 6 hundreds, which is 600.
Show the answer to question 2
Answer: 709
The zero holds the tens place, so the number is 709, not 79.
Show the answer to question 3
Answer: 593
Both have 5 hundreds. Compare the tens next: 9 tens is more than 3 tens, so 593 is greater.
Understand more with Courseversity
You now know what place value means. Keep going with a full lesson, then explore the ideas that connect to it.
Learn
Learn this in a full lesson.
- Understanding tens (Grade 1)
- Hundreds, tens and ones (Grade 2)
- Expanded form (Grade 2)
- Place value (Grade 4)
Practise
Practise with Learning Lab questions for the lesson Understanding tens (Grade 1), with an explanation after each answer.
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Sources and review
This explanation was written from Courseversity lesson content (see the lessons above). An outside reference check is still on the editorial to-do list.
Written by: Courseversity editorial team (AI-assisted draft).
Review status: checked against the sources above. Educator review is pending, so please tell us if anything looks wrong.
Last updated: 27 October 2026.