Understand the idea.
A digit has a place and a value
A digit tells us how many units of its place value we have. Read the places from the right: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands, hundred-thousands. Each place to the left is worth ten of the place beside it.
In , the counts thousands, while the counts hundreds. Zero is a placeholder: the zeros keep the other digits in their correct places even though there are no ten-thousands or tens to add.
| Hundred-thousands | Ten-thousands | Thousands | Hundreds | Tens | Ones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
Compare from the left
Compare whole numbers from the largest place. With no leading zeros, a number with more digits is larger. For equal-length numbers, matching digits mean keep looking; the first different place decides the comparison.
Read large numbers in groups of three digits. In , the first group means thousand and the last means . When writing it, keep the zero in so that the still means four tens.
See the method in action.
Find a digit value
What is the value of 7 in 407,305?
Worked solution
- 1
Locate the digit in the place-value chart.
Counting from the right puts the 7 in the thousands place.
- 2
Count seven units of one thousand.
The value is the digit multiplied by the size of its place.
- 3
State the value, including its zeros.
Seven thousands is greater than seven hundreds or seven tens.
7,000
Order three numbers
Order 53,980, 54,008 and 53,908 from smallest to largest.
Worked solution
- 1
Compare the thousands groups.
53 thousand is less than 54 thousand, whatever the final three digits are.
- 2
Compare the two numbers beginning with 53 thousand.
Their hundreds match; 0 tens is less than 8 tens.
- 3
Write the complete increasing order.
Each number is smaller than the one immediately to its right.
53,908 < 53,980 < 54,008
Try it yourself.
Check your understanding
What is the value of 4 in 245,019?
Show answer & reasoning
40,000
Count from the right to locate the in the ten-thousands place. Its value is .
Keep practising
6 worksheet questions · 6 marks
Read the questions online
- Write 602,041 in words.1 mark
- Write eight hundred and five thousand, sixty-two as a numeral.1 mark
- What is the value of 9 in 391,246?1 mark
- Order 75,009, 75,900 and 75,090 from smallest to largest.1 mark
- What whole number is one less than 100,000?1 mark
- In 42,708, change the hundreds digit to 3. What is the new number?1 mark
Read the worked solutions
Equivalent correct methods earn the corresponding marks. Include units where asked.
- Write 602,041 in words.1 mark
602,041 contains 602 thousands and 41 ones.
Six hundred and two thousand, forty-one. - Write eight hundred and five thousand, sixty-two as a numeral.1 mark
Write 805 in the thousands group and 062 in the final group.
805,062 - What is the value of 9 in 391,246?1 mark
The 9 is in the ten-thousands place.
90,000 - Order 75,009, 75,900 and 75,090 from smallest to largest.1 mark
Compare the hundreds first, then the tens.
- What whole number is one less than 100,000?1 mark
Crossing below 100,000 makes each lower place a 9.
99,999 - In 42,708, change the hundreds digit to 3. What is the new number?1 mark
Keep the other digits in their places and replace 7 hundreds by 3 hundreds.
42,308
Curriculum reference & lesson scope
Australian Curriculum v9; SA Curriculum Mathematics 2026
Whole-number revision; partitioning; rounding/estimating quantities; checking reasonable answers.
Official curriculum source ↗