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Decompose a ten into ones

A ten is understood as a unit composed of ten ones, so it can be exchanged for 10 individual ones without changing the quantity; this relationship can be shown with place-value blocks, drawings, or equations such as 1 ten=10 ones1\text{ ten}=10\text{ ones}. This equivalence supports regrouping when adding or subtracting whole numbers, while decomposing hundreds or developing more general base-system concepts is outside this scope.

Detailed Explanation: Decompose a ten into ones

A ten is the same as 10 ones:

1 ten=10 ones1\text{ ten}=10\text{ ones}

When you decompose a ten, you trade one ten for 10 individual ones. The amount stays the same.

Example: Decompose 14.

  1. Write 14 as 1 ten and 4 ones:

14=1 ten+4 ones14=1\text{ ten}+4\text{ ones}

  1. Trade the 1 ten for 10 ones:

1 ten=10 ones1\text{ ten}=10\text{ ones}

  1. Add the new 10 ones to the 4 ones:

10 ones+4 ones=14 ones10\text{ ones}+4\text{ ones}=14\text{ ones}

So, 14 can be shown as:

1 ten+4 ones=14 ones1\text{ ten}+4\text{ ones}=14\text{ ones}

The number is still 14 because you only exchanged one ten for the 10 ones that make up that ten.

Learn by doing: Decompose a ten into ones

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    Base 10 Blocks - Decompose and Compare - Tens to Ones

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