Place of a digit in a number
In the previous article we learned how to read the digit at a given place. Now we'll look at the reverse problem: we're given the digit and we need to find which place it sits in in the number.
The places and their order
We read the places in a number from right to left. Each one has its own name:
| Position from the right | Name of the place | Value |
| 1st | ones | 1 |
| 2nd | tens | 10 |
| 3rd | hundreds | 100 |
| 4th | thousands | 1,000 |
| 5th | ten thousands | 10,000 |
| 6th | hundred thousands | 100,000 |
| 7th | millions | 1,000,000 |
The procedure
- Write down the number.
- Find the digit the question is asking about.
- Count which one it is from the right – that tells you the place.
Example 1
Problem: At which place is the digit 6 in the number 362,470? Solution: Let's label the digits from the right:3
6th hundred thousands
6
5th ten thousands
2
4th thousands
4
3rd hundreds
7
2nd tens
0
1st ones
The digit 6 is the fifth from the right, so it's at the ten thousands place.
Example 2
Problem: At which place is the digit 9 in the number 8,094,371? Solution: Counting from the right:- 1 – ones
- 7 – tens
- 3 – hundreds
- 4 – thousands
- 9 – ten thousands ✓
- 0 – hundred thousands
- 8 – millions
Watch out for digits that repeat in the number
If a digit appears more than once in a number, the question always refers to just one specific occurrence. In that case the problem will usually mark which 7 (for example) it means, or it will tell you that the digit appears only once in the number.
Example: In the number 7,507 the digit 7 appears twice – once at the ones place and once at the thousands place.Related articles
- Digit at a given place – the reverse: you know the place and you're looking for the digit.
- Expanded form of a number – how to give each digit its real value.
- Back to the guide
Practice it
- Which place is the digit at? – the generator shows you a number and a digit, and you pick the correct place.