Understanding Place Value (Definition & Examples) - BYJUS

Understanding Place Value

The value of each digit in a number is known as its place value. Each place has ten times the value of the place to its right in the base ten number system. Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, million, ten million, a hundred million, and a billion are all examples of place value. Place value can be understood through place value tables and charts....Read MoreRead Less

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Examples of Place Value Identification for Two-Digit Numbers

1) 28

 

Method 1: Place value of 8 = 8

Place value of 2 = 20

Therefore, 2 tens and 8 ones.

 

(or)

 

Method 2: Let’s understand the same concept using images. Let’s say we have 28 chairs. Let’s group the chairs into tens and ones. Two sets of 10 chairs each are grouped to form 2 tens and are shifted to the tens column. Now we have 8 chairs remaining. They are kept in the ones column as shown in the table.

 

chairs

 

Hence, 2 tens make 20, and 8 ones make 8. So, 2 tens and 8 ones make 28.

 

2) 14

 

Method 1: Place value of 4 = 4

Place value of 1 = 10

Therefore, 1 ten and 4 ones.

 

(or)

 

Method 2: Let’s understand the same concept using images. We have 14 balloons in this example. Let’s group the balloons into tens and ones. One group of 10 balloons is grouped to form 1 ten and is shifted to the tens column. Now we have 4 balloons remaining. They are kept in the ones column as shown below. 

 

Ballons

 

1 ten makes 10, and 4 ones make 4. So, 1 ten and 4 ones make 14.

 

3) 16

 

Method 1: Place value of 6 = 6

Place value of 1 = 10

Therefore, 1 ten and 6 ones.

 

(or)

 

Method 2: Let’s understand the same concept by creating sets of images. Let’s say we have 16 apples. Let’s group the apples into tens and ones. One group of 10 apples is grouped to form 1 ten and is shifted to the tens column. Now we have 6 apples remaining. They are placed in the ones column as shown below. 

 

apples

 

1 ten makes 10, and 6 ones make 6. So, 1 ten and 6 ones make 16.

 

4) 21

 

Method 1: Place value of 1 = 1

Place value of 2 = 20

Therefore, 2 tens and 1 one.

 

(or)

 

Method 2: As usual, we can also use images to represent the place value of this number. Say, we have 21 tennis balls. Let’s group these balls into tens and ones. Two groups of 10 balls each are grouped to form 2 tens and are shifted to the tens column. Now we have 1 ball remaining. We can add it to the ones column as shown below. 

 

tennis

2 tens make 20, and 1 one is 1. The sum of 2 tens and 1 one is 21.

 

5) 46

 

Method 1: Place value of 6 = 6

Place value of 4 = 40

Therefore, 4 tens and 6 ones.

 

(or)

 

Method 2: We can use pictures of mangoes to clearly understand place value. There are 46 mangoes. Let’s group the mangoes into tens and ones. Four groups of 10 mangoes each are grouped to form 4 tens and are shifted to the tens column. The 6 mangoes that are remaining. Are added to the ones column as shown. 

 

mangoes

 

4 tens make 40, and 6 ones make 6. The sum of 4 tens and 6 ones is 46.

 

6) You have 82 charms. If you want to make bracelets with each bracelet containing 10 charms. How many bracelets do you think you’ll be able to make?

 

The place value of 2 in 82 is 2 ones = 2, and the place value of 8 in 82 is 8 tens = 80. So , you have 8 tens and 2 units of charms. But you need 1 ten or 10 charms to make each bracelet.

 

Therefore, you can make 8 bracelets and 2 charms will be left with you.

 

7) You have 65 seeds. Ten seeds are to be planted in a row. What is the maximum number of rows you can sow these seeds?

 

seeds

 

The place value of 5 in 65 is 5 ones = 5, and, the place value of 6 in 65 is 6 tens = 60. 

So you have 6 tens and 5 units of seeds. However, 1 ten or 10 seeds can be planted in a row.

Therefore, you can plant in 6 rows and 5 seeds will remain.

 

8) You have a total of 78 crayons. Ten crayons can be stored in a box. How many boxes do you think you can fill?

 

crayons

pencil

 


The place value of 8 in 78 is 8 ones = 8, and, the place value of 7 in 78 is 7 tens = 70. 

So you have 7 tens and 8 units of crayons to fill in a box. However, 1 ten or 10 crayons can be stored in a box. 

Therefore there are 7 boxes that can be filled with 8 crayons remaining with you.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Every digit in a number has a place value. The value represented by a digit in a number based on its position in the number is known as place value. The value of a digit is simply its value, also known as the “face value”. 

For example, in 25, the number 2 has a place value of 2 tens, as the 2 lies in the tens place. But the number 2 taken alone as a single digit has a value of 2 ones, which is 2. So, the value of the digit 2 is 2, but when it is placed at different places in a number, the place value changes.

The position of a digit indicates the number of ones, tens, hundreds, and so on. For example, if we have to pay $20, we would have to pay the sum as 20 notes of $1 each, but by using place value, we can make 2 groups of ten dollars to form $20 and pay the required amount. 

Place value is used in a variety of mathematical concepts. It lays the groundwork for regrouping, multiplication, and other mathematical operations. 

To develop an understanding of place value, manipulatives such as base-10 blocks, snap cubes, unifix cubes, beans, and other manipulatives are used.