Question

Jamel said that the 9 in 129,082 is two times greater than the 9 in 127,694 because it is two place values to the left. Is he correct?

Answer 1

No, Jamel is not correct. While the 9 in 129,082 is indeed two places to the left of the 9 in 127,694, it is not two times greater.

In fact, the value of a digit in a number is determined by its place value. Each place value to the left represents a value that is ten times greater than the previous place value. So, the 9 in the ten thousands place of 129,082 represents a value of 9 x 10,000 = 90,000.

Similarly, the 9 in the ten thousands place of 127,694 represents a value of 9 x 10,000 = 90,000 as well. Therefore, both 9s have the same value and are not different by a factor of two.

In summary, Jamel's reasoning is flawed and not correct. The value of a digit in a number is based on its place value, and not its position relative to other digits.

Answer 2

Yes, Jamel is correct. In the number 129,082 the 9 is in the thousands place while in the number 127,694 the 9 is in the hundreds place. Each place value to the left is ten times greater than the one to its right. So a digit in the thousands place is ten times greater than a digit in the hundreds place and hundred times greater than a digit in tens place.