This key facts covers Key Rules for Place Value within Place Value & Ordering for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Place Value & Ordering in Number for GCSE Mathematics with 13 exam-style questions and 22 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 3 of 13 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Key Rules for Place Value
- Moving left: Each column is 10× bigger (multiply by 10)
- Moving right: Each column is 10× smaller (divide by 10)
- Zero as placeholder: 205 has zero in the tens column - this is crucial!
- Decimal point: Separates whole numbers (left) from decimal parts (right)
- Leading zeros: 0.5 and 0.50 are exactly the same value
- Trailing zeros: In whole numbers, 500 needs both zeros as placeholders
Practice questions for Place Value & Ordering
What is the value of the digit 7 in the number 47,362?
Write these numbers in order from smallest to largest: -3.2, 0.8, -1.5, -3.25, 0
Quick recall flashcards
What is place value?
Place value is the value a digit has because of its position in a number. Each column is worth 10× the column to its right.
How do you order whole numbers?
1. Compare number of digits (more digits = bigger)
2. If same digits, compare left to right
3. Find first column where digits differ
4. Bigger digit in that column = bigger number