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Year 3 Maths

Place Value to Thousands

Understand how thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones build up larger numbers.

Understanding Thousands

You already know about tens and ones. Now we are going bigger! When we have 10 hundreds, we get one thousand (1,000).

In a four-digit number, each digit has its own place and value.

Base-10 Blocks: The Number 2,345

2 Thousands

1000
1000

3 Hundreds

100
100
100

4 Tens

5 Ones

Place Value Chart: 2,345

Thousands Hundreds Tens Ones
2 3 4 5
= 2,000 = 300 = 40 = 5

Expanded Form

Expanded form shows each digit multiplied by its place value. It is like partitioning, but for bigger numbers!

2,345 in expanded form

2,000 + 300 + 40 + 5

4,017 in expanded form

4,000 + 0 + 10 + 7

Notice: 0 hundreds! We still write it to keep the place.

1,860 in expanded form

1,000 + 800 + 60 + 0

Comparing and Ordering Numbers

To compare four-digit numbers, start from the left (the biggest place). Compare the thousands first, then hundreds, then tens, then ones.

Example: Which is bigger, 3,472 or 3,481?

Th H T O
3,472 3 4 7 2
3,481 3 4 8 1

Step 1: Thousands are the same (3 = 3).

Step 2: Hundreds are the same (4 = 4).

Step 3: Compare tens: 7 < 8. So 3,481 > 3,472.

Remember the symbols:

< means "less than" > means "greater than" = means "equal to"

Key Vocabulary

Thousands

Groups of 1,000. The thousands digit is the fourth digit from the right.

Hundreds

Groups of 100. 10 hundreds = 1 thousand.

Expanded Form

Writing a number as a sum of each digit's value. E.g. 2,345 = 2,000 + 300 + 40 + 5.

Compare

To look at two numbers and decide which is greater, less, or equal.

Worked Examples

1

What is the value of the digit 6 in the number 6,204?

Step 1: The digit 6 is in the thousands place.

Answer: The value of 6 is 6,000 (six thousand).

2

Write 5,073 in expanded form.

Step 1: 5 thousands = 5,000

Step 2: 0 hundreds = 0

Step 3: 7 tens = 70

Step 4: 3 ones = 3

Answer: 5,073 = 5,000 + 0 + 70 + 3

3

Put these numbers in order from smallest to largest: 2,190   2,910   1,920

Step 1: Compare thousands: 1,920 has 1 thousand (smallest). The other two have 2 thousands.

Step 2: Compare hundreds in 2,190 and 2,910: 1 hundred < 9 hundreds.

Answer: 1,920 < 2,190 < 2,910

Knowledge Check

Select the correct answer for each question.

Question 1

What is the value of the digit 4 in the number 4,521?

Question 2

What is 3,000 + 500 + 20 + 7?

Question 3

Which number is greater: 5,682 or 5,628?

Question 4

How many hundreds are in the number 7,362?

Question 5

Which list is in order from smallest to largest?

Key Concepts Summary

Year 3: Perimeter Year 4: Fractions Intro