Big Idea
The position of a digit tells you its value, so place value controls the meaning of every number.
Numbers and Place Value
Read, order, compare, and round whole numbers and negative numbers.
Understand it first
Place value
In 4,582, the 5 means five hundreds, not just five.
Comparing numbers
Compare from left to right. The first different digit decides which number is larger.
Rounding
Look at the digit to the right of the place you are rounding to. Five or more rounds up.
Method Ladder
Use this same ladder every time you meet this topic.
- Write the number with clear columns.
- Identify the place you need: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, or decimal place.
- Use the digit to the right when rounding.
- Check if the answer still has a sensible size.
Worked example: Round 4,582 to the nearest hundred
- The hundreds digit is 5.
- The digit to the right is 8.
- 8 means round up.
- 4,582 becomes 4,600.
Fix It Lab
Read these before the quiz. They are the traps that lose marks.
- Common mistakeRounding from the wrong digit.
- Common mistakeThinking 401 is bigger than 4,010 because 401 starts with 4.
- Common mistakeForgetting that negative numbers get smaller as they move further from zero.
Top-mark challenge
Open challenge
Put these in order from smallest to largest: -4, 0, -9, 7, 3.
Write full working and one sentence explaining the method.
10-question unlock quiz
The quiz is now on separate pages. You answer one question, then the next question opens. Finish Question 10 to complete this mission.
Start Question 1