Skill: Identify the value of a digit

Explanation and Free Practice Resources

A digit’s value in a whole number through 100,000 is determined by its position—ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, or ten-thousands—so the same digit can represent different quantities; zero serves as a placeholder when a place has no units. This understanding connects standard form, place-value charts, and expanded notation, supporting accurate comparison and computation; decimals, negative numbers, and place values beyond this range are not included.

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Detailed Explanation: Identify the value of a digit

A digit’s value depends on its place in the number.

The places from right to left are:

\text{ones},\ \text{tens},\ \text{hundreds},\ \text{thousands},\ \text{ten-thousands}

For example, find the value of the digit $7$ in $(40{,}706)$ .

Start at the right and name each place:

\begin{array}{c|c|c|c|c} \text{ten-thousands} & \text{thousands} & \text{hundreds} & \text{tens} & \text{ones}\\ \hline 4 & 0 & 7 & 0 & 6 \end{array}

Find the digit $7$ . It is in the hundreds place.
A $7$ in the hundreds place means:

7 \text{ hundreds} = 700

So, the value of the digit $7$ in $(40{,}706)$ is:

\boxed{700}

The zeros are placeholders. They show that there are $0$ thousands and $0$ tens. In expanded form, the number is:

40{,}706=40{,}000+700+6

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