Chapter 1
Number and Quantity
Course: Core Academic Skills For Educators Combined Test 5752
Subject: Core Academic Skills Educators Mathematics 5733
Chapter: Number And Quantity
1. Understanding Place Value
Place value is the foundation of our base-ten number system, also called the decimal system. In this system, each digit in a number has a value that depends on its position relative to the decimal point. The decimal point acts as a boundary between the whole-number part (to the left) and the fractional part (to the right).
For whole numbers:
- The rightmost position before the decimal is the ones place (10^0), representing single units.
- Moving left, each position increases in value by a factor of ten: tens (10^1), hundreds (10^2), thousands (10^3), ten-thousands (10^4), and so on.
For numbers smaller than one (decimal fractions):
- The first position to the right of the decimal point is the tenths place (10^-1).
- The second is the hundredths place (10^-2), the third is the thousandths place (10^-3), and so on, with each step representing one-tenth of the value to its left.