Skill: Identify the value of digits in large numbers

A digit’s place value tells how much it is worth because of its position in a number. Starting from the right, the places are:

$$\text{ones},\ \text{tens},\ \text{hundreds},\ \text{thousands},\ \text{ten-thousands},\ \text{hundred-thousands},\ \text{millions},\ldots$$

Each place to the left is worth $10$ times as much as the place before it.

Example

What is the value of the digit $6$ in

$$4,062,305,018?$$

Step 1: Use the commas to separate groups of three digits.

$$4\mid062\mid305\mid018$$

The groups are:

• $4$ billion
• $062$ million
• $305$ thousand
• $018$ ones

Step 2: Locate the digit $6$.

The $6$ is in the millions group:

$$4\mid\boxed{062}\mid305\mid018$$

Within the millions group, $6$ is in the ten-millions place.

Step 3: Find the digit’s value.

A $6$ in the ten-millions place is worth

$$6\times 10,000,000=60,000,000.$$

So, the value of the digit $6$ is

$$\boxed{60,000,000}.$$

The digit itself, $6$, is its face value. Its place value is $60,000,000$. The zeros help hold the other digits in their correct places.