Large Numbers up to 10,000, Place Value and Rounding: Class 4 Study Guide
Large numbers are read in groups. India traditionally groups digits in a different way from the international system.
In Class 4, children work with numbers up to 99,999 and beyond. The places from the right are ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands and lakhs. In the Indian system, commas are placed after the first three digits from the right and then after every two digits: 12,34,567. In the international system, commas come after every three digits: 1,234,567.
Understanding place value means knowing that the digit 5 in 5,000 is worth 5 thousands, but the digit 5 in 500 is worth 5 hundreds. Each place to the left is ten times larger.
Place value chart
| Number | Ten thousands | Thousands | Hundreds | Tens | Ones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34,586 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| 9,070 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 50,003 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Comparing and ordering
Compare numbers by their number of digits first. A five-digit number is greater than any four-digit number. If they have the same number of digits, compare from the left. 45,291 > 45,129 since the hundreds digit 2 is greater than 1. To arrange in ascending order go from smallest to greatest; in descending order from greatest to smallest.
More digits means a greater number.
Look at the first different digit.
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Rounding
To round to the nearest 10, look at the ones digit. If it is 5 or more, round up; if less than 5, round down. For the nearest 100, look at the tens digit; for the nearest 1000, look at the hundreds digit.
Worked examples and common mistakes
Example: Round 7,364 to the nearest 100: tens digit is 6, so round up to 7,400. Example: Write 'forty-eight thousand two hundred five' as 48,205. Common mistakes: forgetting zeros as placeholders (writing 4,05 for 4,005), and mixing Indian and international commas. Be sure to follow the system used in your textbook.
Check your understanding: model answers
1. Sixty-three thousand four hundred eight. 2. 4,900 and 5,000. 3. 5,431; 5,413; 5,134.
✨ Key Takeaways
- Places: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands.
- The Indian and international systems place commas differently.
- More digits means a bigger number.
- Round using the digit to the right of the place.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- Write 63,408 in words.
- Round 4,862 to the nearest hundred and to the nearest thousand.
- Arrange in descending order: 5,431; 5,134; 5,413.