Place Value

Ones and TensUnderstanding Place Value up to 100 and Expanded FormComparing Two-Digit NumbersGreater Than, Less Than, Equal To and Ordering Numbers

Ones and Tens

What are ones and tens?

When we write a two-digit number, each digit has a special place. The ones place tells us how many single units we have. The tens place tells us how many groups of ten we have.

Think of a bundle of sticks:

  • Ones are single sticks (1, 2, 3, ... up to 9)
  • Tens are bundles of 10 sticks tied together

Understanding Tens and Ones:

NumberTensOnesMeaning
232 tens3 ones20 + 3 = 23
454 tens5 ones40 + 5 = 45
707 tens0 ones70 + 0 = 70
80 tens8 ones0 + 8 = 8

Important Rules:

  • A group of 10 ones makes 1 ten
  • The rightmost digit is always the ones place
  • The digit to the left of the ones place is the tens place
  • You can have 0 to 9 in the ones place
  • You can have 1 to 9 in the tens place (for two-digit numbers)
Figure — Ones and Tens
Place Value: 3 Tens and 4 Ones = 34 Tens (3) Ones (4) 3 bundles of 10 + 4 singles = 34
1
Worked Example

How many tens and ones are in the number 47?

Solution
  • Look at the number 47
  • The first digit (from the right) is 7 → this is the ones place
  • The digit to the left is 4 → this is the tens place
  • 4 tens means 40
  • 7 ones means 7
  • 40 + 7 = 47

Answer: 4 tens and 7 ones

2
Worked Example

I have 5 bundles of ten pencils and 2 single pencils. What number does this represent?

Solution
  • Each bundle has 10 pencils
  • 5 bundles = 5 × 10 = 50 pencils
  • 2 single pencils = 2 pencils
  • Add them together: 50 + 2 = 52 pencils
  • The number is 52 (5 tens and 2 ones)

Answer: 52

3
Worked Example

A number has 8 ones and 3 tens. What is the number? Is it greater than 40?

Solution
  • 3 tens = 30
  • 8 ones = 8
  • Add: 30 + 8 = 38
  • Compare 38 with 40
  • 38 is less than 40 (because 38 comes before 40 when counting)
  • Answer: The number is 38, which is NOT greater than 40

Answer: 38, no

Key Points

  • Tens place shows groups of ten (10, 20, 30...)
  • Ones place shows single units (1, 2, 3...)
  • 10 ones make 1 ten
  • Two-digit numbers have both tens and ones
  • The rightmost digit is always the ones place
  • Numbers 0-9 have 0 tens and that many ones

Understanding Place Value up to 100 and Expanded Form

What is place value up to 100?

Place value means the value of a digit depends on its position in the number. In numbers up to 100, we have two important places: the tens place and the ones place. The number 100 has a special place called the hundreds place.

What is expanded form?

Expanded form is a way to write a number by showing the value of each digit. We "stretch" the number to show how many tens and ones it has.

Examples of expanded form:

  • 45 = 40 + 5 (4 tens + 5 ones)
  • 72 = 70 + 2 (7 tens + 2 ones)
  • 80 = 80 + 0 (8 tens + 0 ones)
  • 100 = 100 + 0 + 0 (1 hundred + 0 tens + 0 ones)
NumberStandard FormExpanded FormWords
363630 + 6thirty-six
575750 + 7fifty-seven
919190 + 1ninety-one
100100100 + 0 + 0one hundred
Figure — Understanding Place Value up to 100 and Expanded Form
Place Value: 5 Tens and 7 Ones = 57 Tens (5) Ones (7) 5 bundles of 10 + 7 singles = 57
1
Worked Example

Write the number 54 in expanded form.

Solution
  • Find the tens digit: 5 (means 5 tens = 50)
  • Find the ones digit: 4 (means 4 ones = 4)
  • Write as addition: 50 + 4
  • Check: 50 + 4 = 54

Answer: 50 + 4

2
Worked Example

A number has 7 tens and 2 ones. Write the number in standard form and expanded form.

Solution
  • 7 tens = 70
  • 2 ones = 2
  • Add: 70 + 2 = 72 (standard form)
  • Expanded form: 70 + 2
  • Check: 70 + 2 = 72 ✓

Answer: Standard form: 72, Expanded form: 70 + 2

3
Worked Example

Neha saw the expanded form 80 + 7. What is the number? How many tens does it have? If she adds 1 ten, what is the new number?

Solution
  • 80 + 7 = 87 (the number)
  • 87 has 8 tens (80) and 7 ones
  • Adding 1 ten means add 10: 87 + 10 = 97
  • 97 has 9 tens and 7 ones
  • Check: 80 + 7 = 87, 87 + 10 = 97

Answer: 87, 8 tens, 97

Key Points

  • Place value means the position of a digit tells its value
  • Expanded form breaks a number into the sum of its place values
  • Numbers up to 100 have tens and ones places
  • The number 100 has 1 hundred, 0 tens, and 0 ones
  • Expanded form helps us understand the true value of digits
  • Always write expanded form from largest to smallest place value

Comparing Two-Digit Numbers

What is comparing numbers?

Comparing numbers means deciding if one number is greater than, less than, or equal to another number.

The Comparison Symbols:

SymbolNameMeaningExample
>Greater thanThe number on the left is bigger25 > 18
<Less thanThe number on the left is smaller9 < 15
=Equal toBoth numbers are the same32 = 32

How to compare two-digit numbers:

Step 1: Compare the tens place first

  • If tens are different → the number with more tens is bigger
  • If tens are the same → go to Step 2

Step 2: Compare the ones place

  • The number with more ones is bigger
  • If ones are also the same → the numbers are equal

Comparison Examples:

CompareTens ComparisonOnes ComparisonResult
45 and 524 tens vs 5 tens → 5 is biggerNot needed45 < 52
37 and 393 tens vs 3 tens → same7 ones vs 9 ones → 9 is bigger37 < 39
84 and 848 tens vs 8 tens → same4 ones vs 4 ones → same84 = 84
Figure — Comparing Two-Digit Numbers
Place Value: 6 Tens and 8 Ones = 68 Tens (6) Ones (8) 6 bundles of 10 + 8 singles = 68
1
Worked Example

Compare 63 and 59. Use >, <, or =.

Solution
  • Look at the tens place: 63 has 6 tens, 59 has 5 tens
  • 6 tens is greater than 5 tens
  • So 63 is greater than 59
  • Correct symbol: 63 > 59

Answer: 63 > 59

2
Worked Example

Compare 72 and 78. Which is smaller?

Solution
  • Both numbers have 7 tens (same)
  • Compare ones place: 72 has 2 ones, 78 has 8 ones
  • 2 ones is less than 8 ones
  • So 72 is smaller than 78
  • 72 < 78, so 72 is the smaller number

Answer: 72 is smaller

3
Worked Example

Arrange these numbers in order from smallest to largest: 45, 54, 49, 52

Solution
  • Compare all numbers by looking at tens place first:

- 45 (4 tens), 54 (5 tens), 49 (4 tens), 52 (5 tens)

  • Numbers with 4 tens: 45 and 49
  • Compare 45 and 49: 45 < 49 (because 5 ones < 9 ones)
  • Numbers with 5 tens: 54 and 52
  • Compare 54 and 52: 52 < 54 (because 2 ones < 4 ones)
  • Put in order: 45, 49, 52, 54
  • Check: Each number is bigger than the previous one

Answer: 45, 49, 52, 54

Key Points

  • > means greater than (bigger)
  • < means less than (smaller)
  • = means equal to (the same)
  • Always compare the tens place first
  • If tens are the same, compare the ones place
  • The alligator mouth eats the bigger number
  • On a number line, numbers increase from left to right

Greater Than, Less Than, Equal To and Ordering Numbers

What does ordering numbers mean?

Ordering numbers means arranging them in a sequence either from smallest to largest (ascending order) or from largest to smallest (descending order).

Ascending Order (Smallest to Largest):

  • Start with the smallest number
  • End with the largest number
  • Example: 12, 24, 36, 48

Descending Order (Largest to Smallest):

  • Start with the largest number
  • End with the smallest number
  • Example: 85, 73, 61, 49

Rules for Ordering Numbers:

RuleExplanation
1Look at all the tens digits first
2Numbers with fewer tens are smaller
3If tens are same, compare ones
4Write numbers in a row to compare easily
5Check your order by counting up or down

Practice Ordering:

Set of NumbersAscending OrderDescending Order
25, 18, 32, 2718, 25, 27, 3232, 27, 25, 18
51, 49, 55, 5249, 51, 52, 5555, 52, 51, 49
70, 68, 72, 6968, 69, 70, 7272, 70, 69, 68
Figure — Greater Than, Less Than, Equal To and Ordering Numbers
Place Value: 2 Tens and 9 Ones = 29 Tens (2) Ones (9) 2 bundles of 10 + 9 singles = 29
1
Worked Example

Write these numbers in ascending order (smallest to largest): 31, 27, 35, 29

Solution
  • Compare tens: 31(3), 27(2), 35(3), 29(2)
  • Numbers with 2 tens: 27 and 29 → 27 < 29
  • Numbers with 3 tens: 31 and 35 → 31 < 35
  • Put all together: 27, 29, 31, 35
  • Check: 27 < 29 < 31 < 35 ✓

Answer: 27, 29, 31, 35

2
Worked Example

Arrange in descending order (largest to smallest): 88, 92, 85, 90

Solution
  • Compare tens: 88(8), 92(9), 85(8), 90(9)
  • Numbers with 9 tens (larger): 92 and 90 → 92 > 90
  • Numbers with 8 tens: 88 and 85 → 88 > 85
  • Put largest first: 92, 90, 88, 85
  • Check: 92 > 90 > 88 > 85 ✓

Answer: 92, 90, 88, 85

3
Worked Example

Riya has 3 cards with numbers: 47, 52, and 39. Her friend has numbers 45, 50, and 41. Whose largest number is bigger? Arrange all six numbers in ascending order.

Solution
  • Find Riya's largest: 52 (compare 47, 52, 39 → 52 is biggest)
  • Find friend's largest: 50 (compare 45, 50, 41 → 50 is biggest)
  • Compare 52 and 50: 52 > 50, so Riya's largest is bigger
  • Arrange all six numbers: 39, 41, 45, 47, 50, 52
  • Check order: 39<41<45<47<50<52 ✓

Answer: Riya's largest is bigger (52 > 50); Ascending order: 39, 41, 45, 47, 50, 52

Key Points

  • Ascending order = smallest to largest (going up)
  • Descending order = largest to smallest (going down)
  • Always compare tens place first when ordering
  • If tens are the same, compare ones place
  • Write numbers in a row to compare them easily
  • Check your order by making sure each number is bigger or smaller than the next
  • Real-life ordering helps us with races, heights, ages, and money