Place Value Puzzle: Finding the Number 246 Using Digit Positions

Q: What's the difference between digit and place value?

A digit is just the symbol (like 2, 4, or 6), but place value tells us what that digit is worth based on its position. The digit 2 in the hundreds place is worth 200!

Q: Why can't I just write 246 without doing the multiplication?

You absolutely can! But understanding the why behind it helps you solve harder problems. Breaking it down as $ 2 \times 100 + 4 \times 10 + 6 \times 1 $ shows you understand place value.

Q: How do I remember which position is which?

Think of it from right to left: the rightmost digit is always units (ones), then tens, then hundreds. Or use the phrase 'Hundreds, Tens, Units' from left to right!

Q: Can this method work for bigger numbers too?

Absolutely! The same pattern continues: thousands place ($ \times 1000 $), ten-thousands place ($ \times 10000 $), and so on. Each position is 10 times bigger than the one to its right.

Place Value Construction with Three-Digit Numbers

My hundreds digit is 2, my tens digit is 4 and my units digit is 6.

Which number am I?

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Step-by-step written solution

Follow each step carefully to understand the complete solution

Understand the problem

My hundreds digit is 2, my tens digit is 4 and my units digit is 6.

Which number am I?

Step-by-step solution

To solve this problem, we'll construct the number using its digits based on their positional value:

The hundreds digit is 2, giving $2 \times 100 = 200$ .
The tens digit is 4, giving $4 \times 10 = 40$ .
The units digit is 6, giving $6 \times 1 = 6$ .

Now, sum the results to find the actual number:

$200 + 40 + 6 = 246$

Therefore, the number is $246$ .

The correct choice from the options provided is $246$ , which is choice 4.

Final Answer

$246$

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic

Place Value Rule: Each digit's position determines its actual value
Construction Method: Multiply each digit by its place value: 2×100 + 4×10 + 6×1
Verification: Check that 200 + 40 + 6 = 246 matches the given digits ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors

Writing digits in wrong order
Don't just write the digits 2, 4, 6 in any random order like 462 or 642! This ignores which position each digit belongs in. Always place each digit in its correct position: hundreds digit 2 goes first, tens digit 4 goes second, units digit 6 goes last.

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

What's the difference between digit and place value?

A digit is just the symbol (like 2, 4, or 6), but place value tells us what that digit is worth based on its position. The digit 2 in the hundreds place is worth 200!

Why can't I just write 246 without doing the multiplication?

You absolutely can! But understanding the why behind it helps you solve harder problems. Breaking it down as $2 \times 100 + 4 \times 10 + 6 \times 1$ shows you understand place value.

What if the problem had a zero in one of the positions?

Great question! If the tens digit was 0, you'd have something like 206. The zero contributes $0 \times 10 = 0$ , so it doesn't add anything to the total.

How do I remember which position is which?

Think of it from right to left: the rightmost digit is always units (ones), then tens, then hundreds. Or use the phrase 'Hundreds, Tens, Units' from left to right!

Can this method work for bigger numbers too?

Absolutely! The same pattern continues: thousands place ( $\times 1000$ ), ten-thousands place ( $\times 10000$ ), and so on. Each position is 10 times bigger than the one to its right.

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