Each place is 10 times bigger than the place to its right — all the way to one million!
In our base-ten number system, each place has a value exactly 10 times greater than the place to its right. We can now work with numbers up to 1,000,000 (one million). Reading and writing large numbers requires understanding each digit's place.
Place value chart (ones through millions):
Each step LEFT multiplies the value by 10.
3,487,205 = 3 millions + 4 hundred-thousands + 8 ten-thousands + 7 thousands + 2 hundreds + 0 tens + 5 ones In words: "three million, four hundred eighty-seven thousand, two hundred five"
The value of a digit = (digit) × (place value). The 4 in 3,487,205 is worth 4 × 100,000 = 400,000.
Compare 456,210 and 456,190. Both have the same millions, hundred-thousands, ten-thousands. Look at thousands: both have 6 thousands — same. Look at hundreds: 2 hundreds vs 1 hundred. 2 > 1, so 456,210 > 456,190.
Steps to compare two large numbers:
Remember This!
Use commas to group digits in sets of three from the right. This makes large numbers much easier to read: 2457890 → 2,457,890 (two million, four hundred fifty-seven thousand, eight hundred ninety).
What is the value of the digit 7 in the number 2,703,546?