Place value: Three-digit numbers

In a nutshell

There are three place values for three-digit numbers: hundreds, tens and ones. Zeros can also be used as placeholders where necessary.

Place value

Place value represents how much a digit is worth, depending upon its position in a number.  A three-digit number can be separated or partitioned into hundreds, ten and ones. The position of the digit, or the place value, indicates how big the number is. 

Example 1

Use place value to partition the number $$357$$.

The number $$357$$ consists of $$3$$ hundreds, $$5$$ tens and $$7$$ ones. This can therefore be written as​

​$$\underline{357 = 300 + 50+7}$$

Example 2

Use place value to partition the number $$408$$.

The number $$408$$ consists of $$4$$ hundreds and $$8$$ ones. This can therefore be written as

​$$\underline{408 = 400+8}$$

Note: The zero in the 'tens column' is called a placeholder, as there are no tens for the number. 

Place value model

A number can be represented using a place value model. A place value model shows the number in the form of counters to represent the different place values.

Example

Partition the number $$316$$ using a place value model.

The number $$316$$ consists of $$3$$ hundreds, $$1$$ ten and $$6$$ ones. This can be shown as: