Question

When looking at a place value chart, every time I go from one place value to the right, how much is the value of the next position?

A. Ten times that position
B. One-tenth of that position
C. Five times that position
D. Half of that position

Answer 1

Moving to the right on a place value chart, the value of each subsequent position is one-tenth of the previous position, while moving to the left each position is ten times greater than the one to its right.

Step-by-step explanation:

When looking at a place value chart, moving from one place value to the right, the value of the next position is one-tenth of that position. For each move to the right, you are dividing the place value by ten, which is the base of our counting system. Conversely, each move to the left on the place value chart indicates a value ten times greater than the position to the right of it.

This system of powers-of-ten notation originates from the way humans started to count using their ten fingers. If you have a number like 231.45, as you move from left to right, the place values go from hundreds to tens to ones to tenths to hundredths, each time becoming one-tenth of the previous value. Likewise, as you move from right to left, each place value becomes ten times larger.