Place Value: Tens and Ones

What is place value?

Every number is built from digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

But where a digit sits changes what it is worth. This is called place value.

In a two-digit number, there are two places:

• the ones place (single units)
• the tens place (groups of ten)

Reading a two-digit number

Take the number 47.

• The 4 is in the tens place → it means 4 tens = 40.
• The 7 is in the ones place → it means 7 ones = 7.

Put them together: 40 + 7 = 47.

The place-value chart

A chart makes this easy to see.

Number	Tens	Ones	Means
28	2	8	20 + 8
53	5	3	50 + 3
90	9	0	90 + 0
64	6	4	60 + 4

Notice that 90 has a 0 in the ones place. That zero is important — it shows there are no extra ones.

Worked example

Build the number with 3 tens and 6 ones.

1. 3 tens = 3 × 10 = 30
2. 6 ones = 6
3. Add them: 30 + 6 = 36

So 3 tens and 6 ones make 36.

Why the same digit can mean different things

Look at the 2 in these numbers:

• In 24, the 2 means 20 (2 tens).
• In 42, the 2 means 2 (2 ones).

Same digit, different place, different value!

Try it yourself

Use 10 sticks bundled into tens and loose ones, or draw them.

• Show 35 as 3 bundles and 5 loose.
• Show 50 as 5 bundles and 0 loose.

Great job!

You now understand tens and ones. This makes bigger math much easier.

When you are ready, use place value to add in Addition and Subtraction Made Easy, or explore Number Patterns and Sequences.