Questions: Place Value: Hundreds, Tens, and Ones

Question 1

The digit 3 appears in two numbers: 345 and 837. What is the value of the digit 3 in each number?

• A. 3 in both — the digit always represents its face value
• B. 300 in 345 and 30 in 837
• C. 30 in 345 and 300 in 837
• D. 3 in 345 and 30 in 837

Answer: (B)

In 345, the digit 3 is in the hundreds place, so its value is 3 × 100 = 300. In 837, the digit 3 is in the tens place, so its value is 3 × 10 = 30. The same digit can represent completely different amounts depending on which position it occupies. This is the core insight of place value: position determines value, not the digit alone.

Question 2

What does the zero in 307 tell you?

• A. There are no tens — so 307 = 300 + 7, and the zero holds the tens place empty
• B. The number is approximately round
• C. You should skip the tens column when reading this number
• D. The number could also be written as 37 since the zero contributes nothing

Answer: (A)

Zero as a placeholder is essential — without it, the digits 3 and 7 would slide together and form 37, a completely different number. The zero in 307 holds the tens place, ensuring the 3 stays in the hundreds position (worth 300) and the 7 stays in the ones position (worth 7). Removing it would change the number's value entirely.

Question 3

The digit 5 in the number 500 is worth exactly 100 times more than the digit 5 in the number 5.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: True

In 500, the digit 5 is in the hundreds place: value = 500. In 5, the digit 5 is in the ones place: value = 5. Since 500 ÷ 5 = 100, the hundreds-place digit is indeed worth 100 times more. Each place to the left multiplies a digit's value by 10 — moving two places left multiplies by 100.

Question 4

In the number 423, the digit 2 is worth 2.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

The digit 2 in 423 is in the tens place, so its value is 2 × 10 = 20. The face value of a digit (the numeral itself) is not the same as its place value. To find a digit's actual value, you must look at which position it occupies and multiply accordingly.

Question 5

Why is the zero in 370 important? What would happen to the number if it weren't there?

Model answer: The zero in 370 holds the ones place empty, keeping the 3 in the hundreds position (worth 300) and the 7 in the tens position (worth 70). Without it, the digits 3 and 7 would form the number 37 — a completely different value. Zeros are not 'nothing'; they are placeholders that preserve the correct position of every other digit.

This question reveals whether students understand that zero's role is structural, not numerical. A student who thinks zeros can be removed without consequence has not grasped place value. The zero in 370 is what separates 370 (three hundred seventy) from 37 (thirty-seven).