What does the tens place mean?

The tens place is the second column from the right, and a digit there counts groups of ten. In 63, the 6 sits in the tens place, so it is worth 6 tens, or 60. Swap the digits to make 36, and that same 6 is worth only 6 ones.

How do you write a number in expanded form?

To write a number in expanded form, split it into the value of each digit and join the parts with plus signs. In 365, the 3 is worth 300, the 6 is worth 60 and the 5 is worth 5, so 365 = 300 + 60 + 5. A 0 adds nothing and is usually left out, as in 408 = 400 + 8.

At what age do kids learn place value?

In many school systems, children start bundling objects into tens at about age 5 or 6, and read the tens and ones of two-digit numbers at about 6. Reading digits by column up to the hundreds usually follows at about 7, and thousands at 8 or 9. The two levels here keep that order: tens digits first, then hundreds digits.

Why does my child write three hundred and five as 3005?

Many children write a number the way they hear it, one piece at a time: 300 for “three hundred”, then a 5, which gives 3005. The fix is one digit per column. Draw three boxes for hundreds, tens and ones, put the 3 and the 5 in their boxes, and fill the empty tens box with a 0.

Can a teacher use this place value math game with a class, and does it cost anything?

It costs nothing: both levels open in any web browser, with no account and nothing to install. As tens and ones practice, give three pupils a digit card each and line them up at the front as a number. Ask the class who stands in the tens place. Then everyone plays on a tablet. The schools plan is billed per student and gives the teacher a dashboard of who is improving.

Math practice · reimagined

Place Value Game

This place value fighting game asks for one column at a time: the tens digit of a number up to 99, then the hundreds digit of one up to 999. Each answer is one digit, so one quick tap can send your fighter in first.

Ages 4–99+ · no download · plays in your browser · 23 languages

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What is place value?

Place value is what a digit, one of the symbols 0 to 9, is worth because of the column it stands in. The digit 3 means three in 3, but thirty in 34. Tie 34 sticks into bundles of ten, and you get 3 bundles and 4 loose sticks. The 3 counts the bundles.

Every level of Place value

Example: the hundreds digit of 648

Name the columns from the right: the 8 is in the ones, the 4 in the tens and the 6 in the hundreds.
Say the number aloud to check: six hundred and forty-eight begins with the 6.
That 6 stands for six hundreds, which is 600.
The question asks for the digit, not its value, so you type 6.

Learn it step by step

A two-digit number is not one number written twice — each digit is doing a different job, and where it sits is what decides that job.

In 47, the 4 is not four. It is four TENS, which is forty. The 7 sitting beside it really is seven ones. So 47 means forty AND seven, and reading it that way is what makes bigger numbers stop being scary.

The columns always sit in the same order: ones on the right, tens next to them. So the tens digit of 47 is 4, and the tens digit of 90 is 9.

Find the column being asked for, read the digit standing in it, and type that single digit.

Tips and common mistakes

Each step one column to the left makes a digit worth ten times more. Write 5, 50 and 500 under each other and watch the same 5 move left.
A common mistake is calling the first digit the tens digit. That works for 58, but in 583 the tens digit is 8. Count the columns from the right.
Make a place value chart game on paper: three columns for hundreds, tens and ones. Call out 270, and your child writes each digit in its column.

How to play

Each round shows one number with a question about one of its columns, such as “Tens digit of 57?” or “Hundreds digit of 928?”. The answer is always a single digit, so one tap on the keypad settles it, and the first right tap lets Carrot strike. Tap sooner and the hit lands harder.

— Quick answers —

Place value: the short FAQ

What does the tens place mean?: The tens place is the second column from the right, and a digit there counts groups of ten. In 63, the 6 sits in the tens place, so it is worth 6 tens, or 60. Swap the digits to make 36, and that same 6 is worth only 6 ones.
How do you write a number in expanded form?: To write a number in expanded form, split it into the value of each digit and join the parts with plus signs. In 365, the 3 is worth 300, the 6 is worth 60 and the 5 is worth 5, so 365 = 300 + 60 + 5. A 0 adds nothing and is usually left out, as in 408 = 400 + 8.
At what age do kids learn place value?: In many school systems, children start bundling objects into tens at about age 5 or 6, and read the tens and ones of two-digit numbers at about 6. Reading digits by column up to the hundreds usually follows at about 7, and thousands at 8 or 9. The two levels here keep that order: tens digits first, then hundreds digits.
Why does my child write three hundred and five as 3005?: Many children write a number the way they hear it, one piece at a time: 300 for “three hundred”, then a 5, which gives 3005. The fix is one digit per column. Draw three boxes for hundreds, tens and ones, put the 3 and the 5 in their boxes, and fill the empty tens box with a 0.
Can a teacher use this place value math game with a class, and does it cost anything?: It costs nothing: both levels open in any web browser, with no account and nothing to install. As tens and ones practice, give three pupils a digit card each and line them up at the front as a number. Ask the class who stands in the tens place. Then everyone plays on a tablet. The schools plan is billed per student and gives the teacher a dashboard of who is improving.

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