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Why This Matters for Nursing: Understanding place value helps you read medication doses accurately. The difference between 10 mg and 100 mg could be life-or-death—place value ensures you never misread a number.
Whole numbers are the counting numbers (0, 1, 2, 3...) without fractions or decimals. Every digit in a number has a place value—its position tells you how much it's worth.
Think of it like an address: the digit's position is just as important as the digit itself. The "5" in 500 is worth much more than the "5" in 50!
| Millions | Hundred Thousands | Ten Thousands | Thousands | Hundreds | Tens | Ones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000,000 | 100,000 | 10,000 | 1,000 | 100 | 10 | 1 |
In the number 4,738: - 4 is in the thousands place = 4,000 - 7 is in the hundreds place = 700 - 3 is in the tens place = 30 - 8 is in the ones place = 8
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