The big idea
You already know hundreds, tens and ones. Numbers keep growing to the left. Next come thousands, then ten thousands. Each place is worth 10 times more than the place to its right.
| Ten thousands | Thousands | Hundreds | Tens | Ones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
This number is 46,283. We say "forty-six thousand, two hundred and eighty-three". The comma helps you see where the thousands end.
Big numbers can be hard to work with. So we often round them. Rounding means swapping a number for a nearby number that is easier to use.
Let's explore
Think of a number line like a hill. Say you want to round 47 to the nearest ten. 47 sits between 40 and 50. It is closer to 50, so it rolls down to 50.