You already know tens and ones — now add hundreds and unlock 3-digit numbers!
You already know that numbers are made of tens and ones. Now we are going to add a brand-new place: the hundreds. With hundreds, tens and ones together, you can read and write any number up to 999!
Think about money. A £1 coin is worth 10 ten-pence coins. A £10 note is worth 10 pounds. In the same way, 10 tens make 1 hundred.
So 100 is a ten-times bigger version of 10. And 1,000 will be ten times bigger than 100 — but that's Grade 3!
Now we have three places to work with:
In the number 305, the tens digit is 0. That 0 is very important — it keeps the 3 in the hundreds place and the 5 in the ones place. Without it, 305 would become 35, a completely different number!
Let's look at the number 352:
| Hundreds | Tens | Ones |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 5 | 2 |
The 3 is in the hundreds place — it is worth 300.
The 5 is in the tens place — it is worth 50.
The 2 is in the ones place — it is worth 2.
So 352 = 300 + 50 + 2.
| Digit | Place Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Hundreds place | 400 |
| 2 | Tens place | 20 |
| 6 | Ones place | 6 |
426 = 400 + 20 + 6 ✅
| Digit | Place Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Hundreds place | 700 |
| 0 | Tens place | 0 (placeholder!) |
| 8 | Ones place | 8 |
708 = 700 + 8 ✅ (we skip the zero in expanded form)
1. In a 3-digit number, the leftmost digit is in the hundreds place — multiply it by 100.
2. 10 tens make 1 hundred. Always.
3. A zero in the middle is a placeholder — it must stay there to keep other digits in the right places.
To compare numbers, always look at the hundreds digit first. If those are the same, look at the tens. If those match too, look at the ones.
Example: Is 463 greater than 439?
Both have 4 hundreds — same. Look at tens: 6 > 3. So 463 > 439. ✅
Mistake 1 — Removing the zero. Students write 308 as "38" when they think the zero doesn't matter. The zero is a placeholder — never remove it.
Mistake 2 — Comparing by number of digits first. If two numbers have the same number of digits, always compare hundreds first, then tens, then ones.
Mistake 3 — Writing expanded form with zeros. In 430 = 400 + 30 + 0, the + 0 part is not needed. Skip any place that has a zero digit.
Q1. In the number 573, what is the value of the digit 5?
A) 5 B) 50 C) 500
Answer: C — 500 (the 5 is in the hundreds place)Q2. Which is greater: 629 or 692?
A) 629 B) 692 C) They are equal
Answer: B — 692 (both have 6 hundreds; 9 tens > 2 tens)Q3. What is 800 + 40 + 3 in standard form?
A) 8,043 B) 843 C) 8,430
Answer: B — 843Ready for bigger numbers? Move on to Grade 3!