Math for Parents
Tim Whiteford PhD

Place Value and Base Ten 

Place Value 

Our entire numeration system is based on the idea of grouping things in groups of tens. This is called the Base Ten system of counting. The “place” a  numeral occupies in our Base Ten system is what gives that numeral its value. Hence the term “place value”.

 How many different numerals do we use in our numeration system?

 How many numerals would we need if we didn’t use that system?

 Base Ten

 Base ten is groups of ten. If we used base five it would br groups of five.

Ones are placed into groups of ten to make tens.

Tens are placed into groups of ten to make hundreds.

Hundreds are placed into groups of ten to make thousands etc. etc.

 “A group of ten ones is the same as one ten”

“A group of ten tens is the same as one hundred”

“A group of ten hundreds is the same as one thousand”

 Counting large numbers 

Numerals in each “place” can be counted in just the same way as ones. 

Number names

 Decade names can be developed by counting groups of ten and then renaming as in

“ five tens are the same as fifty”. “three hundreds are the same as three hundred” 

Numbers in between like 53 follow a counting pattern

 Writing and saying large numbers

 Follows a repeating pattern all the way to infinity (wherever that is) of ones, tens and hundreds.

The 0 identifies nothing or a lack of quantity as opposed to a “place holder”. (language)

 

 

Math at Home 

 

* Look for written large numbers
                                
- newspaper
                                  - magazines 

* Read large numbers to children

                      - children say number with you or repeat after you 

* Finds large numbers of things and count them out grouping them in tens etc.
                                  - beans in a bag
                                 - pennies in a jar 

* Play games which involve counting large sums of  “money”.
                                
- Monopoly or Careers

 * Play computer games which utilize very large numbers for scores.

 * Explore Roman Numerals
                                 - notice how it is not the same as Base Ten

 * Identify things that come in tens, hundreds, thousands, millions etc

  

                                                                                                  Tim Whiteford  PhD,