Place Value (Tens & Ones)
Every number is built from digits that each have a special spot — the tens place and the ones place — and knowing those spots tells you how much the number is worth.
Reading is good — doing is better. Practice Place value (tens & ones) as an interactive lesson.
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Place value means that where a digit sits in a number decides its value. In a two-digit number, the left digit is in the tens place and tells you how many groups of ten you have. The right digit is in the ones place and tells you how many single units are left over. For example, in the number 47, the 4 is in the tens place (4 groups of 10, which equals 40) and the 7 is in the ones place (7 single units).
Remember the rule
Tens on the LEFT, ones on the RIGHT. Tens digit × 10 + Ones digit = the number.
Key words
- Digit
- Any single number symbol: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.
- Place value
- The value a digit has based on WHERE it sits in a number.
- Tens place
- The spot on the LEFT side of a two-digit number. It counts groups of ten.
- Ones place
- The spot on the RIGHT side of a two-digit number. It counts single units.
- Two-digit number
- A number that has both a tens digit and a ones digit, like 23 or 85.
- Expanded form
- Writing a number by showing the value of each digit separately, like 34 = 30 + 4.
- Standard form
- Writing a number the normal way using digits, like 56.
- Value
- How much a digit is actually worth in its place, like the 5 in 52 is worth 50.
Worked examples
What are the tens and ones in the number 35?
→ 3 is in the tens place (worth 30) and 5 is in the ones place (worth 5). So 35 = 30 + 5. · Think of 3 bundles of 10 sticks and 5 loose sticks.
What is the value of the digit 6 in the number 62?
→ The 6 is in the tens place, so its value is 60. · The digit 6 alone would just be 6, but sitting in the tens place makes it worth 60.
Write 50 + 7 in standard form.
→ 57 · 50 means 5 tens, and 7 means 7 ones, so put them together: 57.
Which number is bigger: 48 or 84?
→ 84 is bigger because it has 8 tens (80), while 48 only has 4 tens (40). · Always compare the tens digit first — more tens means a bigger number.
A number has 2 tens and 9 ones. What is the number?
→ 29 · 2 tens = 20, plus 9 ones = 9, and 20 + 9 = 29.
Break apart the number 73 into tens and ones.
→ 73 = 70 + 3. There are 7 tens and 3 ones. · This is called expanded form and it shows what each digit is really worth.
Common mistakes
- Flipping the digits — writing 54 when they mean 45 because they mix up which place is tens and which is ones.
- Thinking the tens digit stands for its face value only — for example, thinking the 3 in 37 is worth 3 instead of 30.
- Forgetting that a zero in the ones place still matters — 20 means 2 tens and 0 ones, not just 2.
- Confusing the order when reading expanded form — adding 4 + 30 and writing 43 instead of 34.
- Saying a two-digit number has two separate numbers instead of two digits that together make one number.
FAQs
Why does it matter which place a digit is in?
Because the same digit means different amounts in different places. The digit 5 in the ones place is worth 5, but in the tens place it is worth 50. Place tells you the value!
How do I remember which side is tens and which is ones?
Think of it like lining up: the ones line up on the far right, and the tens stand just to their left. You can also use a place value chart with two boxes labeled Tens and Ones.
What happens if there are zero ones, like in the number 40?
40 still has two digits: 4 in the tens place and 0 in the ones place. The zero is a placeholder that shows there are no loose ones.
Can a ones digit ever be bigger than a tens digit?
Yes! In the number 29, the ones digit (9) is bigger than the tens digit (2), but the tens digit still controls how big the number is overall because it is worth 50 more.
What comes after the ones place when numbers get bigger?
After ones and tens comes the hundreds place, which you will learn about in 2nd grade. It works the same way — each place to the left is worth ten times more.
How can I practice place value at home?
Use everyday objects! Grab some pasta or pennies, group them into piles of 10, and count your groups plus the leftovers. If you have 3 groups of 10 and 6 extras, you have 36.
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