Place Value Practice: Separating 81 into Tens and Units

Q: Why is the first digit called 'tens' and not just '8'?

The position of a digit determines its place value! The digit 8 in the tens place actually represents 8 groups of ten, which equals 80. This is how our decimal number system works.

Q: What's the difference between 'tens' and 'units'?

Tens represent groups of 10, while units (or ones) represent individual items. In 81, we have 8 complete groups of ten plus 1 individual unit.

Q: How can I remember which digit goes where?

Think left to right: bigger values come first! Start from the left with tens, then move right to units. Practice with 81 = 8 tens + 1 unit.

Q: What if I see a number like 07 or 03?

Leading zeros don't count in place value! 07 is just 7 (0 tens and 7 units), and 03 is just 3 (0 tens and 3 units).

Q: Can I have more than 9 in the tens place?

In a two-digit number, the tens digit can only be 1-9. If you had 10 tens, that would make 100, which is a three-digit number with hundreds, tens, and units places!

Place Value Decomposition with Two-Digit Numbers

Divide the number 81 into units and tens.

❤️ Continue Your Math Journey!

We have hundreds of course questions with personalized recommendations + Account 100% premium

Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution

Understand the problem

Divide the number 81 into units and tens.

Step-by-step solution

To solve this problem, we need to break down the number 81 into its tens and units components using the decimal structure:

Step 1: Identify the number. Here, the number given is 81.
Step 2: Recognize the structure of numbers in decimals - in a two-digit number, the first digit represents the tens place, and the second digit represents the units place.
Step 3: Decompose 81 into tens and units:

For the number 81:

The tens digit is the first digit: $8$ .
The units digit is the second digit: $1$ .
Thus, 81 can be expressed as 8 tens and 1 unit.

We conclude that the decomposition of 81 is into 8 tens and one unit.

Final Answer

8 tens and one unit

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic

Rule: First digit represents tens, second digit represents units
Technique: For 81: tens digit is 8, units digit is 1
Check: Verify: 8 tens + 1 unit = 80 + 1 = 81 ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors

Confusing tens and units positions
Don't say 81 has 1 ten and 8 units = wrong place value interpretation! This reverses the digit positions and shows misunderstanding of our number system. Always remember the left digit is tens, right digit is units.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

What number do the blue squares below represent?

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Why is the first digit called 'tens' and not just '8'?

The position of a digit determines its place value! The digit 8 in the tens place actually represents 8 groups of ten, which equals 80. This is how our decimal number system works.

What's the difference between 'tens' and 'units'?

Tens represent groups of 10, while units (or ones) represent individual items. In 81, we have 8 complete groups of ten plus 1 individual unit.

How can I remember which digit goes where?

Think left to right: bigger values come first! Start from the left with tens, then move right to units. Practice with 81 = 8 tens + 1 unit.

What if I see a number like 07 or 03?

Leading zeros don't count in place value! 07 is just 7 (0 tens and 7 units), and 03 is just 3 (0 tens and 3 units).

Can I have more than 9 in the tens place?

In a two-digit number, the tens digit can only be 1-9. If you had 10 tens, that would make 100, which is a three-digit number with hundreds, tens, and units places!

🌟 Unlock Your Math Potential

Get unlimited access to all 18 Natural Numbers around 100 questions, detailed video solutions, and personalized progress tracking.

📹

Unlimited Video Solutions

Step-by-step explanations for every problem

📊

Progress Analytics

Track your mastery across all topics

🚫

Ad-Free Learning

Focus on math without distractions

No credit card required • Cancel anytime