C h a p t er

Preparation

Useful skills for this chapter:

Understanding place value of numbers to 1000.
The ability to pull apart numbers into their place-value components.
An understanding of the relative size of numbers and their placement on a
number line.

k
k i cf f
o

1 Write the number that is 100 more than:

a 300

b 324

c 936

d 1013

e 19079

2 Write the number that is 100 less than:

a 300

b 324

c 936

d 1013

e 19079

3 Write the number that is 1000 more than:

a 5000

b 702

c 31

d 3058

e 19892

4 Write the number that is 1000 less than:

a 8000

b 1003

c 11035 d 10403 e 20202

Show what you know

1 Draw a number line from 0 to 1000.
Mark in 25, 100, 400, 750 and 888.
2 Write the value of the 5 digit in these numbers.

a 57 903

b 957

c 1225

d 15 092

e 13 582

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Chapter
Australian Curriculum
content descriptions
ACMNA124

Number and Algebra

Positive and negative

whole numbers
This chapter begins by looking at whole numbers; then we look at negative
whole numbers.
The whole numbers are sometimes called the counting numbers.
The whole numbers are the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and
so on. We can always add 1 to any whole number and get another whole
number. That is why we say the list of whole numbers is infinite it never ends.
We use numbers to record countable quantities where we can ask How many?
For example:
How many buses are in the car park?

How many children are at school today?

How many salad rolls did you eat for lunch?

C h apte r 1 P o s iti v e a n d Ne g ati v e W h o l e Numbe r s

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We also use whole numbers for quantities that we measure, rather than count.
When we are talking about quantities, we ask How much?
For example:
How much rice is needed for dinner?

How much money do you need to save for your holiday?

How much orange juice is in the jug?

Negative whole numbers are used to describe numbers below zero, such
as temperatures. For example, the temperature at the top of Mt Kosciusko in winter
can be as low as 18C.

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1A

Place value

The digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 can be used to write:

a 5-digit number such as 89 371
a 6-digit number such as 450 672
a 1-digit number such as 2
any whole number.
We can use place-value cards to help break a number into its place-value parts.
These place-value cards show the value of each digit in the number 3461.

3 4 6 1

3 0 0 0
4 0 0
6 0
1

Each place in a number has a special value.

For example, in the number 3 427 568:
the 3 means 3 millions
the 4 means 4 hundreds of thousands
the 2 means 2 tens of thousands
the 7 means 7 thousands
the 5 means 5 hundreds

Millions
Hundreds of thousands
Tens of thousands
Thousands
Hundreds

the 6 means 6 tens

Tens

the 8 means 8 ones.

Ones

3 4 27 568

C h apte r 1 P o s iti v e a n d Ne g ati v e W h o l e Numbe r s

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The value of a digit changes if it is in a different place. If we take the number

3 427 568 (on the previous page) and change the position of the digits to make
8 674 325:
Millions

the 8 means 8 millions

the 6 means 6 hundreds of thousands

Hundreds of thousands

the 7 means 7 tens of thousands

Tens of thousands

the 4 means 4 thousands

the 3 means 3 hundreds

Thousands

the 2 means 2 tens

Hundreds

the 5 means 5 ones.

Tens
Ones

8 6 74 325
We can use base-ten materials to help us understand place value.
=1

= 10

= 100

= 1000

This is the number 3461 shown with base-ten materials:

3461 means 3 thousands + 4 hundreds + 6 tens + 1 one.

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Knowing the value of the places in a number helps us to read it.

Millions

Thousands

Hundreds
of millions

Tens of
millions

Millions

Hundreds
of
thousands

Tens of
thousands

Thousands

5 3 8

We read 926 714 538 as nine hundred and twenty-six million,

seven hundred and fourteen thousand, five hundred and thirty-eight.

Example 1
Write the value of the 8 in each number.
a 28 774

b 289

c 18 693 002

d 781 721

Solution
a In 28 774, the 8 is in the thousands place, so it has
the value of 8 thousands or 8000.
b In 289, the 8 digit is in the tens place, so it has the value
of 8 tens or 80.
c In 18 693 002, the 8 digit is in the millions place, so it has
the value of 8 millions or 8 000 000.
d In 781 721, the 8 digit is in the tens of thousands place, so it has
the value of 8 tens of thousands or 80 000.

Summary
The value of a digit in a number depends on the place it is in.

C h apte r 1 P o s iti v e a n d Ne g ati v e W h o l e Numbe r s

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1A

C o n n ec t , a p p l y a n d b u i l d

Whole class

1 Make the place-value cards from BLM 1 Place-value cards.

3 0 0 0
2 0 0

makes

8 0
7

3 2 8 7

Use your place-value cards to make these numbers.

a 8912

b 4938

c 389

d 9072

2 a Use your place-value cards to make other numbers up to 9999.

b Match the numbers you make with your place-value cards to numbers
shown on an abacus. Use a real abacus, or draw one.
c Match the numbers you make with your place-value cards to numbers made
with base-ten blocks.
3 Write these numbers in words.

a 5038

b 28 445

d 298 577

e 1 305 084

c 46 102

4 Write the number:

a 85 tens and 2 ones

b 300 ones

c 23 hundreds, 5 tens and 3 ones

d 4 thousands, 5 hundreds and 18 ones

e 23 hundreds and 45 ones

f 128 thousands, 43 tens and 9 ones

g 34 ones, 18 hundreds

h 17 ones, 1 ten thousand, 23 hundreds

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1A

Individual

1 Write each number.

a Eight thousand, two hundred and twenty-three

b One hundred and five thousand, two hundred and forty-nine

c Thirteen million, seven hundred and ninety-eight thousand,

five hundred and sixty-two

2 Write each number in words.

a 91

b 48

c 392

d 6789

e 18 002

f 21 309

g 589 902

h 6 893 407

3 Write the value of each highlighted digit.

a 8 0 2

b 3 1 9 6

d 8 3 2 4 8 9

e 1 9 0 4 6 8 4

g 6 0 3 5 4 0 0 0 2

c 5 4 7 9 5
f 5 8 9 4 4 4 2 3 9

h 3 4 7 8 6 2 9 1 9

4 Copy and complete this place-value chart.

Number

Place-value parts
Tens of
millions

Millions

Hundreds
of
thousands

Tens of
thousands

Thousands

Hundreds

Tens

Ones

9045
21947
101010
800641
1794376

C h apte r 1 P o s iti v e a n d Ne g ati v e W h o l e Numbe r s

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1B

The number line

A number line helps us make sense of numbers. To make a number line, draw a line
on the page and mark 0 for zero. The arrow shows that the line continues in the
same way forever.
0

Mark equally spaced points to the right side of the zero.

0

Label the first marker to the right of the zero as 1.

0

Label the next marker 2, then keep going.

0

You can make number lines out of string or tape, or draw them on paper. They can
be used to show any number, from the very smallest number to the largest number
you can think of.

Example 2
Draw a number line from 0 to 10. Use large dots to mark the numbers 1, 3,
5 and 7.

Solution
0

10

10

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A number ladder is like a vertical number line with equally

spaced rungs. Georgie has her left foot on 2, her right foot
on 3 and her left hand on 7.

10
9
8
7

We usually mark 0 on the number line and then mark

1, 2, 3, evenly spaced as far as we need to go.

Sometimes we mark the multiples of 10 or the multiples

of 100, depending on what we need.

Example 3
Show where 150 would be on this number line.
0

1000

Solution
Mark in steps of 100. The number 150 is halfway between 100 and 200.
150

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

We can also use number lines to compare numbers.

200

100

200

500

300

400

500

700

600

700

800

Numbers get larger as we go to the right on the number line. So 700 is larger than
200 because it lies further to the right.
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11

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